Haglund's Heel

New York City Ballet Chaconne shines a light on a few things 1/30

New York City Ballet’s winter season continued into its second week with the All Balanchine Program that included changes in cast. Here we were again in iconic Farrelldom enjoying the poetic, musical geometry of Maria Kowroski’s Chaconne. Adrian Danchig-Waring, substituting for Tyler Angle, did not seem to encounter any of the partnering difficulties that developed during his Chaconne opposite Sara Mearns last week. Happily, his own variations looked much like the pre-injury Adrian except that some jumps landed hard with short plies. 

Maria and Adrian, although not quite at the level of the premiere duo, are the best that we’ve had since that time and most closely replicate the charm and elegance from the 1970s. The tall, limb over-blessed 41-year-old Maria held her own against the memory of the 30-year-old shorter Farrell who premiered Chaconne with Peter Martins in the same year that Maria was born. Maria has seemed serious about dancing this choreography as it was originally intended whereas last week Sara Mearns focused more on putting her own stamp on it. It has taken us more than a generation of dancers to get from Suzanne Farrell to Maria Kowroski; talents of their magnitude certainly do not come along very often. We don’t see any men in the pipeline who might ever actually equal the allegro brilliance and elegant calm of Martins in Chaconne. The circumstances that brought his talent to NYCB’s stage in this ballet are like stars that align only once in the universe.

Ashley Hod, Isabella LaFreniere, and Andrew Scordato were grandly elegant in the Pas de Trois. Lauren King and Harrison Coll danced a superb Pas de Deux. Lauren’s fearless en dedans turn with the leg in a la seconde that whipped right over into a penche arabesque was beautifully executed. Wow, are these two having an incredible winter season. Lauren has been dancing at a stepped-up level on par with the principals while Harrison is about to debut as Romeo.

Also on the evening’s bill were Divertimento No. 15 and The Four Temperaments. Highlights of Divertimento were soloists Indiana Woodward and Erica Periera in the first and second variations. Each of these dancers skimmed across the floor in allegro which made their speed look deceptively easy. On the other hand, Ashley Bouder and Ashly Isaacs, both also brilliant in this ballet, bolted through steps which made their speed look more strenuous.

The Four Temperaments included a refreshing debut by Russell Janzen in Phlegmatic. This may be his first principal role in which he hasn’t had to heft & heave-ho some ballerina, and he seemed energized by the opportunity. The most he had to pick up last night was one-half of Savannah Lowery’s Choleric while Anthony Huxley picked up her other half. It’s going to take a while for Russell to nail down the details of this role, but he made a good start and was quite interesting to watch. 

Debuting in the 1st Theme were Olivia Boisson and Lars Nelson. Olivia's well-placed, turned-out extensions were lovely, and Lars handled the difficult partnering impressively. Anthony Huxley brilliantly conveyed the sorrowful, heavy-heartedness of Melancholic. Sara Mearns and Jared Angle powered through Sanguinic without much charisma.

Our H.H. Pump Bump Award, a Louboutin balletic lattice of sparkle and grace, is bestowed upon Maria Kowroski for her gorgeous Chaconne, but we suggest that Lauren King and Isabella LaFreniere think about clearing a little space on the floors of their closets for some similarly dazzling stilettos that are sure to come their ways soon.

 

New York City Ballet All Balanchine 1/24 plus Spectral Evidence 1/25

The second evening of the Winter Season and the second All Balanchine program included a wonderful sampling of his repertory but, unfortunately, some strained performances.

Divertimento No. 15, set to most of Mozart’s composition by the same name, offered challenging variations for soloists Lauren King and Ashley Laracey, here dancing principal roles with exceptional authority. Lauren’s sharp changes of direction of the leg from a front extension to a second arabesque and clear double gargouillades with the trailing leg’s circle just as articulate as the leading leg’s were all performed with the upper body projecting a sunny ease. Sterling Hyltin’s second variation included a lovely uninterrupted sequence of attitude turn-pirouette-fouette. Ashley's sissonne-ronde de jambe en l’air jumps in the third variation had a singing quality. Abi Stafford’s unassuming fleetness and the luxurious manner in which she pulled and lengthened musical phrases in the fourth variation were a joy to watch. In the sixth variation Megan Fairchild’s sparkling, always unpretentious allegro skittered across the stage with ease while her upper body countered with an elegant gracefulness.

Andrew Scordato and Daniel Applebaum, two tall corpsmen with very long legs, impressed with their abilities to meet the challenges of the tempi and provide the ballerinas with polished partnering. That brings us to Andrew Veyette. He danced as though he hadn’t bothered to practice an arabesque since last fall. Stamina was lacking. Feet were unpointed. His allegro was leaden. It was an embarrassment to this company. When we recently noticed that Veyette had been added to the list of permanent faculty at SAB – along with Abi Stafford, Joaquin De Luz, Marika Anderson, and Sterling Hyltin – we hoped it was a sign that he would soon be retiring from the stage, but we were also alarmed at his underwhelming quality as a role model for students. Veyette clearly is not putting in the work to maintain himself physically. To be blunt, he should not have been on the stage in this ballet on Wednesday evening. 

The Four Temperaments included a thrilling performance of Sanguinic from Tiler Peck and Tyler Angle who emphasized the sudden stops within the furious pace of this electrifying work. The four backup Sanguinistas were not as charging and in sync as we usually see. The four dancers who backed up Ask la Cour’s Phlegmatic (Ashley Hod, Emily Kikta, Claire Kretzschmar, and Isabella LaFreniere), however, gave this section a dramatic heft that seemed to help Ask be a little more assertive in his own performance. Teresa Reichlen and Anthony Huxley gave admirable performances of Choleric and Melancholic.

Some of the major donors who left the performance without staying for Chaconne had the right idea. The corps included apprentices and new members who were not sure of their musical counts or were outright wrong on them. The Pas de Trois (Emily Kikta, Claire Kretzschmar, Aaron Sanz) also looked under-rehearsed. The Pas de Cinq led by Indiana Woodward was neat and energetic. Not only was Indiana superb but our eyes kept going toward the leggy power and swiftness of Mimi Staker.

Sara Mearns and Adrian Danchig-Waring somehow made their Pas de Deux and variations look like nothing but a collection of steps. Adrian clearly is not back 100% from his injury and doesn’t have full range of motion in the lower legs and ankles or his customary power. Sara was simply powering through everything as hard as she could. No nuance. No musicality. No beauty in the dancing – just force. Please – let’s not allow Balanchine’s choreography to suffer the injustices of our time. He’s the one holding us up.

Last evening, Haglund slipped in to see Spectral Evidence - the riveting work that Angelin Preljocaj created for NYCB in 2013. Based on the Salem Witch Trials, Spectral Evidence is set to a sound score by John Cage, the longtime collaborator of Merce Cunningham. Preljocaj, by the way, studied with Cunningham in New York, and much of the French choreographer’s work reveals strong Cunningham influences. But back to the Cage sound score — sounds of whispers, sucking in air, exhaling, a noisy kiss, pounding drums, French text, and of course silence create a perfect environment in which to convey the mass hysteria of the time when ________ were accused of being ________, and in a flash were convicted by mobs and hanged, all based on discredited testimony. So there you go …

Amar Ramasar, stepping into the role created by Robert Fairchild, has room to grow but nevertheless was compelling in the role. Chase Finlay, who stepped into Amar’s role danced half-heartedly like he was having trouble remembering the choreography. Extreme modern technique is not his forte anyway, but it wasn’t the forte for any of the others either before they made the effort to command it. Sean Suozzi and Taylor Stanley rounded out the male cast — both incredibly dramatic and creating characters with the darkest souls imaginable. Hopefully, some day both of those artists will get the chance to put their marks on the leading role, too.

Tiler Peck, Megan Fairchild, Ashly Isaacs, and Megan LeCrone sent our senses into a tailspin. Half the time, we were convinced that they were indeed dangerous witches. The other half of the time, they seemed like a cluster of misunderstood sisters — but dangerous. Rubbing their elbows together, pulling their arms across their faces in a hyperflexion and suddenly letting their limbs fly back, all that sucking in of air, gasping, and those weird moments when they pulled one leg up across the knee and suddenly threw their hands out at us: witch stuff, indeed. No wonder they got into trouble. Alas, they were burned to death, but it seems like the flames in their death chambers have been dramatically cooled since the premiere season. The flames are no longer orange-red; they’re mostly white. Technically, white flames are hotter, but they look less hot on stage. We guess that the image of women amid the cooler orange flames was disturbing for some to see. Nevertheless, the audience understood the white flames. At the end, people around Haglund were raving about this dance. It is one of the best contemporary pieces that NYCB has commissioned over the past few decades. It is brilliant, imaginative, rings of contemporary themes, and gives new types of challenges to the dancers. All good.

That’s why all the performers of Spectral Evidence can share this witchy, thorny H.H. Pump Bump Award.

New York City Ballet 1/23Apollo, Mozartiana, Cortège Hongrois

Maria Kowroski has been New York City Ballet's pure-silver superconductor of Balanchine’s electrlc current for quite some time now. It flows through her limbs, torso, and expression with zero resistance as if it could flow on forever. Without question, her physical instrument is the most perfect conductor for the Balanchine artistry of yesteryear that we have today. 

 

In reality, though, nothing goes on forever – not electric current, not Maria's artistry, and not even Balanchine’s works. However, on the first night of the 2018 winter season, Maria gave us the Balanchine artistry from way back when – artistry so freely charged that it illuminated the choreography of Mozartiana with an incandescence as brilliant as observed in Balanchine’s own time. She danced in the spirit of the great ones who came before her and made us believe that Balanchine could have made Mozartiana for her. 

 

In the Preghiera section, her spine bent backward with the flexibility of a decade ago as she opened her arms as if offering her soul to what was above her. Her filigree footwork throughout the ballet was delicate and pristine. The shapes she made with her feet and legs were grand, larger-than-life geometric perfection. They were what younger dancers, including the four tiny SAB students who framed her on stage, dream about achieving when they look in the studio mirror everyday. (I need to be able to cross and flatten my fifths on pointe like Maria does. I need to draw the leg up the front with a perfectly turned out knee like Maria. I need to get my arabesque up and hold my back like Maria. I need to grow arms like Maria's.) For years Maria has set the highest contemporary standard for dancing works that Balanchine made on Suzanne Farrell. On this night she did it again. Her Pas de Deux with her superb partner Tyler Angle became a long conversation in which he was utterly charmed by her every word. She would punctuate a phrase of complex choreography with a flirtatious turn of the wrist and palm as if to say Just like that… The glances they exchanged reflected their own delight at just how well the piece was going that evening.

 

In the Gigue, Daniel Ulbricht simply amazed in his ability to get all of the intricate allegro perfectly done and done with ease while making it look like it was his gift to the audience. This morning, kids in the studio are facing the mirrors and wondering what it’s going to take to get it perfect 100% of the time like Ulbricht does. Most will settle for 99% of the time which Ulbricht wouldn’t think of doing. There is no compromise on the road to perfection.

 

The four corps women in the Menuet (Marika Anderson, Ashley Hod, Emily Kikta, and Isabella LaFreniere) beautifully complemented Maria with their own strength and beautiful limbs. Coming into focus with increasing clarity are the dazzling futures of LaFreniere and Hod. 

 

Also on the program was Apollo which received a correct but mostly flat performance from Chase Finlay. His theatrical interpretation of Apollo has made a bigger impact in the past. Sterling Hyltin held this performance up with her frisky, sparkling Terpsichore who had a thing or two to teach Apollo. Lauren Lovette’s Calliope was charming – at times a little fizzy – and was well-danced. Ashley Bouder’s Polyhymnia had a “just another day at the office” quality to it. The perfunctory level of the performance of this secondary principal role was disappointing. But most objectionable was the sloppy posture and exaggerated sloping forward of the shoulders as she swaggered in line on route to the final sunburst. Lauren’s posture could have been better, too. Where did this idea of sloppy shoulders and swaggering walk in Apollo originate from? Not from the earliest casts, that’s for sure.

 

Savannah Lowery and Ask la Cour sizzled in the Czardas section of Cortège Hongrois. Their spirited corps dancers were brimming with enthusiasm and dancing like there was no tomorrow. It was hard to miss Emma Von Enck who danced as if positively possessed by Glazounov’s music. 

 

Lauren King and Emilie Gerrity glistened in their difficult variations. We’re rooting for each of them to win big stage-hogging opportunities in the coming seasons. Their beautiful artistry has perhaps developed a little more slowly than others blessed with more facility, but it is nevertheless just as gorgeous to watch. How interesting it would be to see the two of them together in Concerto Barocco.

 

Sara Mearns and Russell Janzen as the Raymonda-like and Jean de Brienne-like characters cleared the stage with their out-sized dancing. Forcefulness and determination marked Sara’s dancing along with a sub-surface anger that drove her energy. She has every right. Russell advanced the notion that his career’s greatness is going to come through ballets that give him a story to tell. Lucky us. How great to see such clean and strong turns in a la seconde during his variation.

 

When all was said and done on the first evening of the winter season, it was clear that Maria Kowroski, the most senior dancer in the company, was also its strongest pillar who led the evening with the most brilliant dancing and integrity. Our H.H. Pump Bump Award, a silver Louboutin Bottticella Alta with burning red sole (available at Barney's NY for $895), is bestowed upon her.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the Department of Here We Go Again

Did no one in Hollywood learn a lesson from the tar & feathering of the Black Swan in which actresses flimsily faked their ways through a film as professional ballet dancers while gobbling up the credit of professional ballerina doubles who they mistakenly took for spineless molluscs? Of all people, did former NYCB corpsman Kurt Froman not understand the hypocrisy, fraud, back-stabbing dishonesty, and harm to the art and artists in professional ballet that came from Hollywood's deception?

Apparently not.

So here we go again. Double Trouble from this morning's Playbill.com.

But with Froman’s latest project, Red Sparrow starring Jennifer Lawrence, director Francis Lawrence insisted she execute 100 percent of the dance. “Francis Lawrence really was adamant from the start that Jennifer Lawrence has to be able to follow the footprint onstage for lighting purposes, as well as editing purposes,” says Froman. Even Froman was unsure that Lawrence (or anyone without prior training) would be able to do the fast solo material due to its complexity. But “she completely mastered every single bit of that material. She did every single section—the solo included,” says Froman. “It’s amazing what, in four months, an actor can achieve.”

On the other hand, maybe Darren Aronofsky saw how the fraud created heightened interest (which equaled heightened ticket sales) and nonstop free promotion from his Black Swan controversy and persuaded Francis Lawrence that this would be a good thing to do for Aronofsky's current girlfriend, Jennifer Lawrence.

If after 4 months of training, Jennifer Lawrence could "completely master every single bit of that material" and dance "every single section–the solo included", why was it necessary to hire a dance double for her? From IMDb:

 

And to further advance the deception, Froman wags on and on about how he concentrates on developing the backs, arms and upper bodies of the non-dancer actresses so that they can pull off the fraud. The new trailer for this movie shows a single frame of a dancer which we have extracted for everyone to examine with their high-powered balletoscopes (pronounced: bæˌlet toʊ skoʊps):

Jennifer Schmennifer. But we doubt that the mere 1K viewers who thumbs-downed this trailer did so because of the fake Jennifer in the dance frame portrayed by the "stunt double". Most likely it's because the dancer was out of place for the shot and not directly aligned under the chandelier. But hey, let's not be picky, people. Just boycott the film if the producers are going to try to run this scam again.

Somebody get Jess Cagle on the phone – pronto.

 

 

 

Simply stunning

https://d3ss7t324mvief.cloudfront.net/res/2018%20Sleeping%20Beauty%20Background.mp4

and with audio:

https://www.facebook.com/sfballet/videos/10155685529236293/

Five years after her startlingly brilliant debut as Princess Aurora in Peter Martins' gorgeous Sleeping Beauty at New York City Ballet, Ana Sophia Scheller will again dance the title role next week but in Helgi Tomasson's staging of the Petipa classic for San Francisco Ballet. In 2013, we dubbed her NYCB's Petiparina because of her authenticity and unexpectedly pure classicism. Lucky is San Francisco to have Ana among its beautiful first-week Auroras including Sasha De Sola and Mathilde Froustey.

 

observations 1-19

Much support from H.H. goes out to ABT's dancers and stage managers who have authorized a strike in the event that AGMA contract negotiations do not come to a satisfactory resolution soon.

We reported earlier that ABT gave its mediocre artistic director, Kevin McKenzie, a raise of more than $85,000 from 2014 to 2016 when the company barely held even over that period. For the year ending 2015, the company saw a drop of almost 30% in contributions -- the year in which patron disgust over the Misty hoopla and management's reliance on guest artists hit their highs (so far). So by the end of 2016 ABT managed to bounce back to 2014 levels which some how justified an $85,000+ raise for McKenzie. Take note, Dancers, take note.

It simply could not be more ridiculous that ABT refuses to contribute just as generously to the Dancers' retirement fund.

In its article today, the NYT didn't mention a word about ABT's financial health or the manner in which management is compensated compared to the artists and stage managers. But there seems to have been an editorial decision made at the Times to work into every ballet story until further notice the resignation of Peter Martins at NYCB and the circumstances -- most of which were contrived by the New York Times itself.

To claim that either these contract negotiations or Martins' resignation are signs of a "difficult moment in the dance world" or that these situations represent "turmoil in an unusually tumultuous New York ballet season" is typical NYT crap. Does anyone hear the NYT claiming that because the LA Times' publisher has been accused of sexual harassment over his career and has even settled claims, that it suggests a "difficult moment in the newspaper world"? The real story in this LA Times situation is how the publisher got hired in the first place. Did the LA Times not vet him thoroughly or did they vet him thoroughly and decide that his proclivity for sexual harassment didn't disqualify him for the job as publisher? That's the real story.

Similarly, did the New York Times not thoroughly vet Alastair Macaulay for his position as dance critic or did they thoroughly vet him and decide that his arrest and jail time for paedophilia-related stalking of little children on a beach didn't disqualify him for employment? Maybe the NYT bought Macaulay's story that the police (of all people) destroyed all the evidence. Thus, it would not be possible for anyone at the NYT to examine the evidence before making a hiring decision.

When the NYCB winter season opens next week, Alastair will be in his seat squirting all over himself with orgasmic glee at the self-congratulatory thought that he and Gia Kourlas helped push out Peter Martins. Gia has never been able to get over her snit that Martins wouldn't support her on her "Where are all the black ballerinas" crap of a few years ago when she tried to develop and germinate a claim of racism at NYCB. On the other hand, America's National Bend-Over Ballet Company decided that skin color was more important than the ability to dance and promoted the fakerina Copeland. Is it a wonder that ballet is able to keep its pretty head above water?

We just wish Gia would investigate "Where are all the black ballet critics at the New York Times, the Washington Post and Dance Magazine?" Is there any possible explanation for their absence other than racism? We wish Gia would have her NYT music critic colleagues (they're all white) investigate why there is a dearth of Asian double bass players in the three-piece jazz bands in Harlem. It must be a concerted effort of racists; that's the only possible explanation – that would sell a New York Times story, that is.

And off we go into the winter season...

observations 1-9

Loved getting another ABT brochure in the mail today with photos of Marcelo Gomes and his performance dates listed for the spring season -- this one's a keeper.

Natalia "This Met stage isn't big enough for me" Osipova is shown as a guest artist, but Alessandra Ferri is not – yet. The Unofficial Information Exchange (UIEX) ticker tape has been whirling & whispering that Ferri may perform in Wayne McGregor's AfterRite.  Of course we can easily guess what happened after the original (real) Rite of Spring and which could turn up in Wayne's World: The savages consumed the sacrificial virgin while wearing nude-colored briefs to accentuate the dislocation of their limbs as they yanked them around to – not choreography – but to an algorithm loaded with palindromes which were most likely written on the palms of their hands. This Rite sequel, however, may need to pander to the local press; so there may be lots of gratuitous same-sex sphincter-groping and kissy face. Maybe the savages in Wayne's World will even blow goats -- just to appeal to a wider audience.

Wayne's World could turn out to be an eye-popping experience for all the children who come to the double-bill to see Misty Copeland in Firebird. That's what ABT is all about: forward thinking.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

In a couple of weeks, we'll get a little bit of relief from the unsettling start of the year when New York City Ballet opens its winter season with Balanchine's extraordinary Apollo, Mozartiana, and The Four Temperaments among other of his masterpieces. Chase Finlay opens the season as Apollo. Let's hope that he can pull it all together including his fifth positions.

We can't wait to see Ashley Laracey and Lauren King again in the Divertimento No. 15, Maria Kowroski in Mozartiana, Adrian Danchig-Waring as Apollo, and everyone in Chaconne and Cortege Hongrois.

 

NYCB jungle Monkey business

 

Makumba (who is keeping her weight a secret, thank you) is a little tired of being ignored.

 

Makumba grunts,

 

“But what about all the women who are happy that they screwed their male bosses and got ahead for it? If it’s as prevalent as everyone claims, certainly there are plenty of “success” stories where the women drove successful bargains and got rewarded handsomely. Should we use social media and the press to try to hunt them down and criminalize them? Should we out them and shame them? Perhaps burn them? What about the women who observed how to play the game, observed that they had all of the “pieces” to win against “lesser” employees, and saddled up to the playboard? What about the women who published seductive photos of themselves on I-gram with a twinkle in the eye while knowing that the boss would see them and perhaps be more interested in their careers? Perhaps even put them on stage more. What should we do with them?

 

In the current climate, we can’t expect the “successful" women players to emerge voluntarily from the jungle, can we? Should we go after them and make them pay for their methods and their successes? Shouldn’t we shame them or at least name them in an effort to tame them? Don’t we really want to? After all, their willingness to bargain with the boss is making it tough on those women who wouldn’t, or couldn’t, or did but didn’t want to. News flash (one that you will never see disclosed in mainstream agenda-driven media): every woman who has had sex with her boss or a client is not a victim."

 

Bargains based on sexual interest are entertained in the workplace every day, sometimes in every conversation, and they are instigated as much by women as by men. Shouldn’t women (and men) be fired for any and all flirtatious conduct in the workplace, no matter how mild or innocently-intended? Or for using their physical appearance to attract the male boss’s eye and attention or a client's, for trying to be perceived for what they might be able to deliver in other ways, to help them get ahead of the smarter women who maybe aren’t as good looking? Shouldn’t women be fired if they get a bit too cute, smiley, or giggly in front of the male boss or if they dress particularly provocatively when they know it will distract the boss or anyone else?

 

There are ballet dancers who seem to think it's their right and privilege to waltz down Broadway with nothing on but a pair of pointe shoes if they so choose. Really. If a rich person waltzes down Broadway loudly proclaiming how rich he is and wearing $100 bills coming out of his sleeves and holding great wads of money in his fist, he’s certainly entitled to do that and is not breaking any law. And if he’s knocked down by a stranger who then takes his money, he is unquestionably a crime “victim”. But he’s also a stupid ass who is responsible for his own victimization.

 

But back to the point. Why aren't we calling out the ladies who willingly played the boss and won, if, in fact, they did. We probably shouldn't have emphasized "in fact" because that seems to have no important place in the current climate.

 

 

 

New York City BalletPeter Martins resigns

Thank goodness Haglund withheld his year-end contribution from NYCB. Things could slide downhill fast.

Sterling Hyltin indicated it has been upsetting to see former dancers trying to speak to the press on behalf of current dancers who respect Martins and believe that he should continue in his position. Former dancers who were fired or pushed off the stage along with students who were never hired and may have been told they weren't suited for the profession, all found a way to retaliate against the honesty in their lives.

So who will assume the helm? Some soloist who never excelled on the stage but managed to get his name in print for his lousy choreography? How about a former principal who never excelled in any of Balanchine's great works on the stage and slopped through Robbins' works with his French accent while screwing girls barely out of one school or another? Then there is the former principal ballerina who hasn't been able to leave the stage and still resents Martins taking her out of her tutu role -- years too late.

Hold onto your money, folks, until NYCB weathers this one. And you can bet that when the non-criminal investigation is completed and Martins is vindicated, the NYT won't bother to print anything about it because it's not the kind of news they want to hear.

It's enough to drive a person to drink.