NYCB – A tipsy close to the Fall Season

Did the dancers of Sunday's finale enjoy drinks before closing down the office with Symphony in C? Oy. 

Ashley Bouder and Joseph Gordon leading the First Movement were nothing but business as they stapled down every last step to the stage – bam bam bam. Sterling Hyltin and Amar Ramasar were like the paper in the copy machine gone wild in the Second Movement. We’ve never seen so much off-partnering from these two. But it didn’t compare to the paper jam of demi-soloist pair Megan LeCrone and Christopher Grant that brought them to a complete halt on a pirouette while stuck facing one another. Grant, who usually maintains a serious-to-threatening facial expression while dancing (as does his partner), must have suddenly figured that he should try to do something right to make up for the faux pas; he instantly began smiling from ear to ear. We had no idea that the guy had such handsome teeth. The verve and efficiency of Indiana Woodward with Sebastian Villarini-Velez in the Third Movement and Brittany Pollack with Andrew Scordato in the Fourth Movement were a much needed distraction.

 

What saved this performance of Symphony in C was the sparkling Corps de Ballet. All of the ladies were ravishing and danced full-heartedly, but we simply couldn’t take our eyes off of Christina Clark, Emily Kikta, and Ashley Hod. Mira Nadon and apprentice Savannah Durham were pulling our glance, too, and it was a relief to see Isabella LaFreniere popping into the finale. Among the men, Spartak Hoxha was unmatched. It didn’t matter that he was usually in the back row, his ferocious allegro was easy to spot. 

 

More care should be taken with Symphony in C’s casting. It requires commanding ballerinas who possess the strength to project endless elegance through regal lines and imperial footwork. It is not about smirking at the audience in the First Movement or exaggerating the plies in eschappes while looking down at the feet as if to instruct the audience to do so, too. It’s not about whacking the leg back into an arabesque during the Second Movement and throwing the arms around without any sense of how they relate to the lines of the legs and the rest of the body. It’s not about trying to be cute and cheerful in the Third Movement. It’s not about blending in with the proletariat in the Fourth Movement. 

 

We should have seen at least one full and brilliant new cast in Symphony in C this season — and in the other major Balanchine ballets as well. Fielding essentially the same cast or the same two casts for each performance discouraged ticket buying. And enough is enough with these autumnal ballerinas who think they are entitled to own roles that could be danced better and with a fresh interpretation by other dancers. When a young, brilliant dancer is given an opportunity to dance a major role, it does not mean that the audience should be sentenced to watch her/him for the next 15 years to the exclusion of others—and that goes for Nutcracker, too. Here’s hoping that the Winter Season casting for Swan Lake and the major Balanchine ballets is mostly wiped clean and refurbished with new talent. 

 

The fall season brought forth stellar dancing from Emilie Gerrity in Serenade, Emeralds, and Summerspace. She is clearly already a major ballerina of great range and should be under the spotlight a lot more frequently. Let’s keep her healthy, please.

 

Still out with injury: Aaron Sanz, Alexa Maxwell, Tiler Peck. We hope that these three and all the others who missed the Fall Season for physical reasons will return for a glistening Winter. 

 

The “seasonal wrap-up” H.H. Pump Bump Award, a gleaming but cuffed & caged stiletto, is bestowed upon Emilie Gerrity and Spartak Hoxha for distinction in performance throughout the four weeks of the Fall Season.

 

 

Comments

[yukionna]

Great season wrap-up! How unfortunate for Symphony in C. I was thinking of attending the Sunday performance since I didn't feel like I got my dose of Bizet this season, but ended up not going. The performance I saw had no major mishaps, but was kind of low on energy.

I agree about Emilie Gerrity. Absolutely breathtaking in Serenade! I hope she gets to dance Sanguinic again come Spring.

Megan Fairchild has also been delivering at every performance I saw her in.

[Haglund]

So true about Megan. Her artistry has continued evolving to a higher level.

[formerdancer]

Not a fan of Megan LeCrone. I just can't get past the glowering facial expression. It's incredibly distracting.

Bouder needs to start edging firmly towards retirement. Her physique doesn't look svelte anymore and the Broadway jazz hands and "wow!" face is like a slurpee-induced headache.

Speaking of her, Amar posted a pic from the performance last night saying au revoir (for now) to the company and tagged everyone on stage but Bouder. I assume she still has the crazed MeToo vendetta against him going on.

[Haglund]

Former Dancer, I was kind of hoping that Amar would back out of WSS. I can appreciate how the experience will look good on his resume, but the manner in which the production has been completely gutted of Jerome Robbins is offensive to me and should be offensive to all of NYCB and the Robbins Foundation. Also, there is nothing about the Broadway re-make that suggests it will be a success for any reason other than the name of the production and everyone's memory of the original. As much as I admire Amar, I doubt that I will go see the musical. I wish he would spend his time dancing to the natural conclusion of his career at NYCB and then move on to Broadway or whatever.

And right you are about Bouder. "Time's Up" for her.

[Marta]

Hi Haglund,
I agree completely that Gerrity and Hoxha highly deserve the H.H. Pump Bump award. Bravi to both! For the first time, I saw a lot of Gerrity last week in Serenade, Summerspace and Dances at a Gathering. She's wonderful. I've been noticing Hoxha for a while, admiring his attack and speedy feet. Why have they not been promoted yet? I really liked Joe Gordon in DaaG and Tschai PC#2. And yes, I enjoyed Summerspace. Naturally it wasn't idiomatic but the dancers were so focused with such clean technique. Those jumps and hops for the men looked devilishly difficult. Thanks as always for your thought provoking reviews.