Bouder's on the pity-pot

How disappointing that Ashley Bouder has elected to act like Carabosse because she was not allowed to reign over the opening night of Sleeping Beauty and had to defer to a brilliant and beautiful colleague who better embodied the role as intended by the choreographer. According to her latest emetic rant to the NYT, it has nothing to do with her dancing and everything to do with her outspokenness. After all, Aurora on opening night belongs to her, right? She owns it, right? She’s entitled, right? Ashley may be confusing the fairy tale world with the real one. Her thickness and the coarseness in her dancing no longer make her a good fit for Aurora which was clearly evident last week. She’s lucky that she wasn’t pulled from it permanently.

 

Peter Martins changed casting all the time when he was the director, and at the last minute. The casting of his productions is his. The casting of Ratmansky’s productions are his own decisions. (We may have that to thank for not ever having to witness the gruesome accident that would be the Celebrina’s Aurora at ABT.) Moving Bouder from opening night to third cast was not a last minute change. It was made weeks ahead of opening night, before casting was announced to the public, and was an alteration to the let’s keep everything the same so as not to ruffle anyone’s feathers preliminary casting. The casting was announced on January 30th. Here we are three weeks later, and Bouder is now ranting to the press because she didn’t get opening night. When is this crap going to stop?

 

For Martins, protecting the integrity of the performance always took precedent over protecting the egos of dancers. His sudden changes in the casting of Serenade when NYCB traveled to Saint Petersburg in the early part of this century is a huge chapter in the documentary Bringing Back Balanchine. Cast changes are a fact of life. For 30 years NYCB’s dancers lived with sudden cast changes — happily, because it often meant someone would receive an unexpected opportunity. We wonder how Bouder concluded that the changes weren’t made in part due to Martins’ preference for Janzen over Garcia. We wonder if Bouder objects to putting the best overall pair on the stage on opening night? This sense of entitlement by some of these on-their-way-out ballerinas and their willingness to mount (and NYCB’s inability to stop) a media campaign of juvenile complaining every time they don’t get their ways is disgusting. Hopefully Ashley will be spared her entire life from ever having to work in the real world where one has to do tasks one doesn’t like while taking orders from a person one doesn’t like eight hours a day. And oh my goodness, she calls Martins a “tyrant” because he moved her to third cast. Yes, that’s exactly what a “tyrant” is folks — at least it's Ashley’s high school equivalent understanding of the term.

 

It’s hard to understand why NYCB, given all of the damage that its employees including Bouder have caused it, doesn’t institute rules against going to the press with employment complaints. My goodness, do we see the violinist at the NY Phil running to the NYT to complain about not getting an opening night or about a nasty rehearsal? Do the singers at the Met run to the press to complain about casting? More importantly, why don’t we see the NYT publishing complaints from its own women employees about inappropriate conduct within NYT? Why won’t the NYT publish complaints among its employees of Jewish faith about the paper’s treatment of Israel? Here’s the answer: The NYT will not permit among its employees the type of outspokenness that Ashley Bouder enjoys and exploits to the detriment of NYCB and her colleagues. Publicly pointing a nasty middle finger at Sterling Hyltin for defending her boss could not be more Carabosse-like.

 

Bouder is not bigger than NYCB and should not be permitted to act like it. She’s closing out her career inelegantly and hoping that she can create interest in her dancing by complaining about everyone else. It’s a shame when someone thinks their only path to being a hero is to claim victimization, like Smollett.

 

 

Comments

[yukionna]

Throwing Hyltin under the bus like that was so petty and unprofessional. Hyltin embodies Aurora’s qualities far better than Bouder. Bouder might be able to pull of the Rose Adagio balances with more stability, but her characterization has no trace of Aurora.

[Haglund]

I agree. Throwing Sterling under the bus is a fair description.

Bouder's earliest Auroras were far better than what we saw last week. This is a role that she should let go of -- along with most of the other classic tutu roles.

[Sara S-R]

I feel bad for Sterling. She might have defended Martins but that doesn't matter and should not take away from her qualities as a dancer. It doesn't make her any less worthy to do opening night. I will say, having attended the Tuesday night rehearsal and watching her and Russel the next night I did wonder if maybe some form of exhaustion was happening. She was mostly full throttle at the rehearsal and was still beautiful at the performance of course (that upper body is divine) but lacking in the sharpness I'm used to. I was not the biggest fan of him.

For whatever reason that Martins changed the casting, I'm not sure going for a couple who haven't danced this together before (with one half debuting the role) was the way to go, a far better option was to go for the tried and tested Tiler and Tyler. They're the only couple who have danced this together in past runs for this current run. Everyone else is either debuting the first time together (Indiana and Anthony), one half is debuting (Sterling and Russel, Lauren and Joseph), dancing it together for the first time (Ashley and Gonzalo).

Curious if you watched Indiana and Anthony, that was the performance I was most excited for. Too bad their debuts will be overshadowed by this.

[yukionna]

Unfortunately, I’ve only witnessed Bouder’s dancing since her return post-pregnancy.

[GaryS]

Oooooooo Gurl! I have been from the beginning #TeamBouder, but after reading the NYT article, yikes! I may look for a trade. Whatever the situation with Martins was, Ashley has spent A LOT of time bashing him in the press. So when she whines that he re-casted 'Beauty' "as retribution for publicly calling for a new day at the company.", I'd respond "No s**t Sherlock!". Payback is a bitch. Kick a dog when he's down, but dont complain if he bites back. Which is all well and fine for a tiff between Ashley and Martins, but when she trashes Stirling, a colleague, it may just indicate that is not all about feminism, but just about being all about 'Ashley'. So much for sisterly solidarity and encouraging NYCB 'esprit de corps', or de principals. 😉 BTW it took me a moment to figure out who 'Celebrina' was. HA!

[gabe]

Bouder is classless and always had been. Can’t wait for her retirement. The ol’ girl needs to go.

[Anisette]

After reading Haglund's enthusiastic review of Erica Pereira's sugarplum (and agreeing with his hope that she would snag an Aurora this spring,) I made it a point to check NYCB casting almost daily in january. Alas, no petite princess this year. What a bummer.
But I was well-informed as to which date each chosen ballerina would prick her finger...
The Times article fails to mention that the "eleventh hour" was eleven hours and two weeks before the show.
Really cheap journalism. If i hadn't checked casting and read this article, I would have believed that Peter Martins switched dancers right before the dress rehearsal.
It's a very us-weekly type of article.
I love us-weekly. I just dont want them reporting on dance.

[Sara S-R]

It's not feminist to tear down another woman like that and I doubt she would've done it to other more popular dancers like Megan (who has also defended Martins) or Tiler if they were put on opening night.

[Haglund]

Dancers don't seem to be supporting Bouder's megalomania, which is good. She's whining because her ego has been hurt by not getting opening night of Sleeping Beauty. Aren't we all a little sick and tired of Bouder's ego and her suggestion that she and her political mission are more important than what her colleagues work so hard to put on the stage? She should look hard at her own dancing and the unpleasant shape of her legs and feet and get to work on saving her form for the last couple of years of her career instead of wasting her energy on her very own #MeShrew campaign.

[Gerry]

A “tyrant”. Ha. I’d love for her to know what a tyrant really is.

I find it astounding that someone who was given EVERY opportunity, every promotion, every role, everything possibly available in this company to a dancer, still is not happy. Martins made Bouder what she is. She was denied absolutely nothing even when she was not suited to the role. And now she chooses to sh*t all over that to feed some BS propoganda machine.

I’m sorry for the rant but this boils my blood.

[Diana]

I'm aghast. Check out the comments at Bouder's Instagram account: it's all "you go girl" bullshit.

I cannot believe how many people don't see the rampant disrespect shown to Sterling Hyltin.

When Sterling had to relinquish Juliet, she gave it up with class and dignity, wishing success on her successors. Personally, I think she could have danced it until she reached 40, but Martins didn't see it that way and it's his ballet.

And what was taken away from Bouder? Nothing. She got to dance three performances and wasn't one a Friday or Saturday night?

Does she not know that Balanchine could imperiously and without explanation change casting? I remember Patricia McBride relating to a journalist after Balanchine died that he took a part away from her, leaving her "pretty dumbfounded." I remember it because I was so surprised that anything even close to a complaint came out of her mouth.

Speaking of Juliet, Kenneth MacMillan created his Juliet on Lynn Seymour but Margot Fonteyn danced it opening night with Nureyev because of box office.

This is absolutely horrible. Ashley Bouder is locker room poison.

[Haglund]

Bouder's fight is now mostly a fight to avoid humiliation from a loss. A common change in casting made NOT at the 11th hour, but at the 11th hour PLUS 2-3 weeks has humiliated her in front of all of her non-NYCB supporters. She apparently expected Peter Martins to continue to support her career with his productions while she continues to stab him in the back. She really should grow up. Hopefully, we won't have to see her in his Swan Lake ever again -- the first time was way too much.

[Diana]

Well, it strikes me (from afar) that Bouder is still in the thick of the repertory, and it wasn't really a loss - saying so is conceding her point to a degree. She got three performances, one on a prime night, no?

I am also disappointed in Jon Stafford's comments. He may not have meant it to come out that way but it looks as if he is taking Bouder's side.

We should all look to Sterling Hyltin as a role model of grace under pressure.

[yukionna]

It barely even counts as humiliation. It's a privilege to dance Aurora, and she got just as many performances as Hyltin.

Her tantrum is born out of pure entitlement.

[Haglund]

Diana, no one can believe the gist of anything that the NYT says about NYCB. The agenda is clear and it pervades every article and every review. They misquote, selectively quote, and make up quotes.

In its most recent banana peel, it quotes Stafford as saying that he was "surprised" when Martins went back stage early. But the NYT writer re-spun the direct quote to say Stafford was "upset". Since when does the word surprised = upset?

Also there was no mention about the dancers who were very happy to see Martins - just the one who complained. I could guess that it might have been Devin Alberda or one of that little collection of backstabbers & snitches who made the complaint. He probably nearly peed on himself when he saw Martins before running off into the wings holding his you-know-what.

It strikes me as odd why the press isn't automatically referred to NYCB's press department any time they want a quote about something instead of getting direct access to the artistic side. How hard would that be to do?

[NYer]

Robin Pogrebin is a POS. She clearly has an agenda with everything she writes and she also cannot write a piece about NYCB without including the lawsuit regardless of what she's writing. She has been attacking the four individuals in the lawsuit since day one and won't let it go. She has essentially declared their guilt prior to the courts. Has anyone noticed that since the majority of the defendants have now spoken out through the legal system, and *not* the press like Waterbury, peoples' perceptions are shifting because they are seeing what really went down. All of the defendants have been absolutely silent with regards to the case until these motions. They were smart. Waterbury has been all over the press with her "woe is me I'm the victim" BS. I assure you if the complaint survives the multiple motions to dismiss then we're going to see a LOT of dirt on Waterbury and maybe conclusive evidence of her motives and the full story. Also, keep in mind that if this does go anywhere that many others are going to get dragged into this either as witnesses or significant parties. We just don't know.

[Diana]

@yukionna,

Absolutely.

It also makes a mockery of Ms. Bouder's loudly proclaimed feminism. How feminist is it to belittle another woman's accomplishments?

[melponeme_k]

I haven't followed the Bouder's public cases.

But I did see her SB today and she did give a good performance. Her body may not be as svelte (due to childbirth) but she handled the Rose Adagio very well. The balances were impressive. She performed lovely on the series of arabesque on point with a roll off of point through the foot into deep penches. The only caveat I did have about her performance was, yes, she was a bit hard edged as a young teenage princess. But her classical positioning was math perfect and could not be faulted. Especially when compared to most of the other female cast. The arm work by most of the female cast today was horrifying.

Bouder did much better in the dream section and the grand pas de deux at the end.

The only other female dancer that stood out to me was Claire Von Enck. She was fantastic as Eloquence. In fact I noticed her the last time I saw the production as well. WHY wasn't she moved to a soloist role when it is quite clear she is leagues better at Petipas style than the rest of the female dancers? I could have done without Sara Adams' graceless Florine. I tried to ignore her to concentrate on Spartak Hoxha's Bluebird. And I still don't get why they are so gung ho on pushing Miller. She looks pretty. But I've yet to see star power from her. It's been two years now, I mean give someone else a chance for pity's sake. That batter was up, missed the ball, so move on already.

This SB definitely shows off the male dancers from Corps up to Principals very, very well. Definitely a man's game at NYCB.

[Haglund]

Miriam Miller will progress on slow-simmer but she will eventually get to a high level. Her problem will be that every day there are tall dancers in the corps who demonstrate that they are ready for big opportunities. Look what happened when we temporarily lost a few exceptional tall ones to injury (LaFreniere, Hod, Clark); up popped Mira Nadon in SB and Clara Miller in Nutcracker Coffee. AND Emily Kikta, one of the tallest, danced the most stunning SB Diamond variation that I've ever seen in this production. I hope she's on track for Swan Lake and a well-deserved promotion.

There's much to cheer about at NYCB these days even in spite of Bouder's effort to re-introduce the cannibalism story line into Sleeping Beauty with her recipe for Sauce Peter and Sauce Sterling.

[Diana]

Haglund, I applaud your effort to look at the glass as half-full, but I truly think that Bouder has introduced poison into the potion.

I cannot stop myself from checking her Instagram account. The likes on the post about Sleeping Beauty are now over 4,000. Yes, they are all ignorant fools who know nothing about ballet and ballet casting, but who else makes up a lynch mob?

And to think that one of the objects of this mob is Sterling Hyltin makes my blood boil. Is there anything we can do about this other than comment on your blog?

[NS]

I am SO ANGRY that no one is calling Ashley out for what she said about Sterling and it is sickening to see all the comments on Instagram from fans just feeding her ego and dumping on Peter Martins like they have any clue about what went on/goes on in the company. It is mildly gratifying to read Sterling’s responses to some comments about the situation on her latest post - a class act through and through. I’m not able to attend shows at NYCB as often as I used to but I’ll certainly consider all my options before putting my money towards a show that has Ashley in the cast.

[Haglund]

The post to which NS refers which epitomizes Sterling's grace is here: https://www.instagram.com/p/BuKH1ZHgZiw/

Also, NS, you don't know who might be calling her out but not getting through. She really has tried to put her self-interests at the center of everyone's attention.

[Diana]

"Also, NS, you don't know who might be calling her out but not getting through."

Haglund, I do not understand what this means. Can you please clarify?

I hope that everyone in the company sees this for what it is, and ostracizes Bouder.

PS - that Martins took away the part of Juliet from Sterling proves beyond a reasonable doubt that he doesn't favor her. He was just thinking about who best could portray a 14-year old girl. As he was thinking who best could portray a 16-year old in Sleeping Beauty. Bouder is looking very hard and worn nowadays, and doesn't convincingly portray the dewiness of extreme youth.

[Diana]

Haglund,

Let's all have a look at how someone relinquishes a part with dignity and generosity:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Blc-kCZApAA/

As they say nowadays, I can't even.

Bouder shrieks because she got three performances of a part she's frankly grown out of, but not the premiere, and Sterling gracefully concedes a part that she still could have danced (but it's creator's decision), Bouder leads a mob of ignorant followers to trash her colleague and

BOUDER IS SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER????

This is wrong. It's giving in to aggression.

[Haglund]

Maybe Bouder will consider really taking a stand and quit. Her time is up or nearly so. People are tired of seeing her in roles she should not be dancing. Her departure would hardly be a loss given the extraordinary talent in the company.

[Diana]

that would be wonderful, but I sincerely doubt it. At the end of the day, her employment at the New York City Ballet is the only reason anyone listens to her.

I would love to see her quit and devote her full-time to her little vanity project. Let's see how well she would do dealing with fractious employees, fundraising, and working with a board.

I'd love to see it.

[Karen]

I KNOW I saw a supportive reply on Bouder's IG yesterday from the celebrina. NOW I can't find it. I wonder whose agent suggested the deletion . . .
Whinerina might not find employment too easily after NYCB. Who would hire someone with a record of publicly trashing her employer, and former boss? And tossing fellow employees under the bus!? Spoiled little snit. Karma . . .