Haglund's Heel

observations 1/30

Having difficulty deciding whether to take extra fiber capsules in order to get through tonight's premiere or perhaps it's better to forgo them all together.

Last night, Ask la Cour signed off on Firebird with a terrific performance as Prince Ivan -- so animated, humble, and warm toward his ballerina, Teresa Reichlen. It was an absolute joy to watch.

The upcoming Swan Lake casting is a little disappointing. Three soloist men get debut opportunities, but no soloist women get them. Guillaume Cote's surprise arrival as a guest artist can't be complained about. His Siegfried to Sara Mearns' Odette/Odile will be far more than adequate. Besides, maybe this will set up an exchange for Sara to go to National Ballet of Canada to dance Juliet in Ratmansky's Romeo and Juliet this spring. That would be fair. There has to be something in the exchange. She's always wanted to dance Juliet; maybe her path is through Ratmansky's production instead of NYCB's.

 

 

NYCB - first week trials

The rest of NYCB’s first week concluded without any further impeachable behavior. Oh, there were a few violations, but nothing that we could say warranted bringing the gavel down with an angry bang.

We enjoyed quite a bit of the dancing, although it must be said that Danses Concertantes continued to look like it was intended for a student production. Three trios (two women and one man) with the ladies in fluffy tutus dancing mostly fluff & flooze, strut & twirl, preen & prance quickly became tiresome. Erica Pereira with Harrison Ball and Brittany Pollack with Daniel Applebaum had the misfortune of trying to sell the ballet to the audience which gave it a courteous response at all performances, but nothing more. The costumes and scenery (designed by Eugene Berman) were full of imagination and beauty. The strong plums, reds, blues, and yellow accented with black Grecian-inspired designs seemed a little too rich for the choreography and music. Once we decided that the principal ballerina’s bodice had a sun in the middle of it with black rays streaming outward, we spent most of the time trying to interpret the Grecian designs on the other costumes. And soon it was over and time for intermission nuts and soda.

 

On Thursday we were treated to Claire Kretzschmer’s extraordinary debut in Stravinsky Violin Concerto. She and Taylor Stanley created a fabulous tension. Her level of kick-ass was affecting everyone, especially Lauren Lovette who gave the most animated performance we've seen from her. At one point there were just five women on stage: Kretzschmar with LaFreniere, Clark, Kikta, and Miriam Miller. They were strictly dangerous and packed with so much attitude that they were instantly dubbed the SVC Gang of Five and added to the NYPD’s Gang Database. Look closely the next time and you may be able to see the SVC5 tattoos on their necks. 

 

Unfortunately, we missed Emilie Gerrity’s early debut in SVC on Sunday. The extra fifteen minutes devoted to the See the Music presentation made it impossible for us to stay for the final ballet. We will catch up with Emilie at Saturday’s matinee and will report back.

 

The performances of Allegro Brillante led by Erica Pereira with Roman Mejia and Megan Fairchild with Anthony Huxley could only be described as dazzling. The technique, the musicality, the energy, the artistry — all of it bright as the sun. The ballerina role is a perfect fit for the talents of the two women who are vastly different and at different stages of their careers. Erica was light and radiant whereas Megan was vivid and luminous. Erica’s eagerness to shine and Megan’s polished and confident musicality created wonderful individual interpretations of the choreography. 

 

Roman Mejia was going all out with his macho facial expressions. The crowd ate it up. He certainly does have enormous energy but his lines still need to be longer and his feet need to be pointed with more regularity. He danced like he was shot out of a cannon — and that counts for a lot. His male crew of Alberda, Applebaum, Hoxha, and Scordato all had gleaming lines and immaculate form along with great energy. Anthony Huxley had the premiere form in this ballet. He was quietly brilliant, unassuming but commanding nevertheless. He was all business and his business was to get everything right and do it faster and more cleanly than thought humanly possible.

 

La Source was as enchanting as could be when danced by Erica Pereira and Harrison Ball – another perfect matchup of dancers with the dance. It was a good sign to see that both had the stamina to finish this taxing ballet very strongly. It’s a marathon of allegro: two pas de deux with variations and more variations and more and more. Yet, they did not make it look like a contest or a circus like Ashley Bouder and Joseph Gordon did. It’s possible that we’ve never seen Gordon so rigid in expression as he was when dancing with Bouder who seemed determined to find as many crowd-wowing balances and create as many bravura moments as she could.

 

All of the La Source soloists made a good effort. We definitely saw them in order of capability: Emma Von Enck, Bailey Jones, Rachel Hutsell, and India Bradley. Von Enck was the whole package: technique, musicality, stage presence, star power. Jones was tidy. As we’ve mentioned before, she physically resembles Janie Taylor, but that is not a reason to push her forward. At this point in time, she is a very one-note performer with tidy technique. Hutsell had a nice projection and a solid technique. She’ll have to work to overcome the shortness of line, but we’re quite interested in following her journey. Bradley's sissonne where the back foot kicked up in attitude close to her head showed flexibility but that was the extent of the pluses of this performance. Her exit of simple saute de basque and coupe jete was pathetically bad. The unpointed feet throughout her variations were also disappointing. Solution: less time on Instagram and more time on the foot stretcher.

 

Sara Mearns’ debut as Firebird was both captivating and disappointing – captivating because of the imagination that she revealed throughout most of the ballet only to allow herself to devolve into Odette in the final minutes. She was stunning in the costume and makeup and moved more birdlike than we expected. The manege of saute de chat could have been better. She had the right idea of making them grow to an explosive end, but the first jumps simply looked like she was marking saute de chat. The jumps should have started out with fierce full splits that were low to the ground, and then gradually increased in height to show her ascending flight. You know that streaming line of saute de chat that the women do on the diagonal of Lander’s Etudes? They’re very low but very fast. It’s about getting the legs out as quickly as possible as low as possible. Sara was doing smallish saute de chat that were buoyant and hung in the air which made them look like markings. She could have used more flit and flicker in her arms and fast darts of the head to create a difference between her Firebird and Odette. Come on, she had that great red feather on top of her head; she should have used it.

 

We thought Silas Farley was marvelous as Prince Ivan. He, too, showed great imagination in his character. He had us convinced that he was living Ivan in every bone and muscle of his being. Megan LeCrone was a sweet and lovely Bride, as was Emilie Gerrity in the earlier cast, who looked gorgeous in her white dress. It was wonderful to see Megan dancing with what appeared to be genuine happiness.

 

Mira Nadon's debut in Monumentum pro Gesualdo and Movements for Piano and Orchestra kind of confirmed that she's not a tall dancer. As we said previously, she's like a short forward on a basketball team. She didn't stand out like the principal woman should; part of the reason was that the corps in Movements was filled with Sequoias who were grabbing our eyes. Mira showed sufficient composure and coolness and had no trouble with the choreography. Nevertheless, it was not all that interesting to watch. We sure wouldn't mind seeing her in Firebird, though.

 

Our H.H. Pump Bump, a rose gold stiletto with unusual shine, is bestowed upon Erica Periera for her performances in Allegro Brillante and La Source. Management just needs to pull the trigger and promote her along with Lauren King, Brittany Pollack, and Emilie Gerrity; just let them take over and see what riches it yields. Whatever or whoever is holding this up needs to get out of the way. Balletomanes are already starting to look past this generation of soloists and into the next generation of talent and the one after that. This clog is just ridiculous. 

 

 

1/21 & 1/22NYCB opens with a whimper, not a bang

NYCB got off to a somewhat insignificant start to its Winter Season. There was no anthematic Serenade to open the gates of Balanchine. Rather, there was a mostly forgotten, mostly unimportant but for its rich production designs, mostly low energy Danses Concertantes that was supposed to welcome the masses home. How does one make a tiny glissade, tiny assemble with tiny beat followed by tiny pique attitude not look like a 4:30 p.m. classroom combination at Steps? It’s up to the artists to figure that out. They were still working on it opening night. Maybe tonight will be better or at least good enough to talk about later.

 

Movements for Piano and Orchestra was in top form with Teresa Reichlen and Ask la Cour supported by Marika Anderson, Ashley Hod, Emily Kikta, Isabella LaFreniere, Miriam Miller, and Gretchen Smith. This was an extraordinary display of kinetic geometry. Powerful forces of energy, impactful attitudes, razor sharp accuracy of positions all combined to make this performance memorable. Such a great job from everyone. Monumentum pro Gesualdo faired less well. A strange and unattractive combination of corps physiques led to audience wincing. But Teresa Reichlen and Ask la Cour made the short piece watchable.

 

Stravinsky Violin Concerto suffered similarly in the corps; there were some wide torsos that the lighting spread across the stage. However, it was an absolute thrill to see Adrian Danchig-Waring dancing his best, his most powerful, his most joyful, and showing his leadership skills. This was the level of dancing one hopes to see every night at NYCB. His partner, Sara Mearns, was confident and capable but there wasn’t that mesmerizing rapport that we saw when Sara danced this ballet opposite Taylor Stanley a while back. We really want to see those two tangle or tango in some tangy duet again soon.

 

Lauren Lovette and Joseph Gordon are each growing as principals. Their limbs looked lovely together in Stravinsky Violin Concerto, and they both had the same level of youthful energy. Again, it’s a question of the dancers being able to figure out how to add depth and texture to the dancing (without relying on the eyebrows) to bring the most power to the choreography. If a dancer isn’t born with the ability, he or she has to figure it out. We can feel it emerging from these two dancers which makes us keen to buy more tickets.

 

Wednesday evening’s Allegro Brillante was led by Tiler Peck and Tyler Angle and a superb corps. Tiler’s tempo seemed to be a notch down from her most exciting performances of the past, but she in no way disappointed. She can tear through a diagonal of chaines like no one else and can stop them on a dime with a mischievous smile. In some respect, we wish Allegro Brilliante was scheduled for the latter part of the season, because Tiler is just revving up the steam after being out for so long with injury. However, Tyler Angle no longer fills the demands of Allegro Brillante. Yes, he is a reliable partner, which is incredibly important and valuable, but the form and technique for the rest of the ballet simply are not there. 

 

The lovely surprise of the the night was La Source performed by Megan Fairchild and Gonzalo Garcia along with Emma Von Enck in a debut that we just cannot stop celebrating. Now there is someone with innate stage power. Emma already has enormous style that adds even more light to the brilliance of Balanchine’s choreography. Ravishing Megan and elegant Gonzalo seem to be reaching their pinnacles of artistry at precisely the same time. What a stunning performance they gave us!  Karinska’s pink tutu for the lead ballerina – one of her best – made Megan look divine. They don’t come any more beautiful or perfectly matched to a ballerina’s physique and temperament. Megan’s leg lines are at their longest ever and fully stretched without being hard-looking. Each step was articulated not with a show-offy “See what I can do” but with a love of the music and choreography. Gonzalo’s allegro was crisp and clear as could be, and he had fine control of his turns. This was such a delightful ballet that, yes, we bought more tickets.

 

Firebird received a good performance from Ashley Bouder, Andrew Veyette, and Emilie Gerrity. We’ve seen Ashley dance the Firebird for many years and are familiar with what she does with it. It doesn’t seem to be a role that enables a dancer to develop much beyond the steps; so, repeated audience captivation comes from seeing what dancers’ different physical properties bring to the ballet. We look forward to seeing Sara Mearns’ debut and wish we were also seeing Isabella LaFreniere’s delayed debut as well.

 

For whatever reasons, our enthusiasm after the first two nights of the Winter Season is not as high as it usually is. The season should always start with a bang, not a whimper. What’s coming for the rest of the Winter Season may not lift our spirits much. We’ll just have to wait and see.

 

Our H.H. Pump Bump Award, designed by Nicholas Kirkwood, is bestowed upon Megan Fairchild, Gonzalo Garcia, and Emma Von Enck for their glistening performance of La Source.

 

observations 1/21

Big opening day today.

NYCB opens its winter season.

Impeachment trial opens in DC.

Counsels for NYCB, SAB, Finlay, Ramasar, Catazaro, and Longhitano finally get to argue in court their motions to dismiss the Waterbury suit.

 

Shanghai Ballet Swan Lake 1/17

Haglund and the ballet police sirened our ways to the Chinese Consulate on W. 42nd St. on the way home from the Shanghai Ballet’s Swan Lake Friday night to lodge a formal protest about the Chinese photographers with their bazooka cameras entrenched in the 3rd and 4th rings at the Koch Theater. But we didn’t stop there. We then marched into Kam-Wei’s Kitchen nearby on 10th Avenue to pursue justice. They’d already heard all about it — news travels fast down the 10th Avenue ballet pipeline between Lincoln Center and Hell’s Kitchen –– and they were ready for us: “We’re all out of duck. Only one sauce packet per order for complainers.” We were incredulous. “But, but, but – the photographers literally spoiled the ENTIRE White Swan PdD and a major part of the Black Swan PdD,” we cried out. "We have never seen anything like that at Lincoln Center before.” Kam-Wei’s kitchen thugs opened our food bags and stripped out the fortune cookies, “Complainers, look for your good fortune elsewhere. Out!” 

 

Honestly, the Koch Theater should have been better prepared. The new bunch of house managers were of no help at all. Not a one of them had the balls to go upstairs and order the photographers to stop disrupting the performance. 

 

The production by Derek Deane (Former Royal Ballet principal and English National Ballet director) was highly attractive and well-danced, especially by our Odette/Odile, Qi Bingxue, a world-class artist with impeccable feet and port de bras that rippled softly like a quiet brook. She achieved some stunning picture-worthy poses which sent the photographers in the 3rd ring into multiple episodes of orgasmic clicking: an attitude that curved gently toward the sky, a backbend so deep that her upside down face looked down into the audience seated in the orchestra level, arabesques perched like a bird on a limb.

 

So often we observe the differences between Odette and Odile through their facial expressions and the limpid vs. authoritative port de bras. Yes, all of that was evident in Qi Bingxue’s characterizations, but what also stood out was the perception of strength and power that pulsed through the knees and quads of her Odile. She slowly flexed her legs through a dangerous developpe while distracting Siegfried with the sensuality and beauty of her upper body. This Odile didn't avoid risks either. As her fouettes travelled forward, we thought we were going to see the first Odile to finish them on the apron of the stage if not in the lap of the bassoon player. Nevertheless, she persisted. It was a very gutsy job, and the audience recognized her for it.

 

Our Siegfried, veteran Wu Husheng, possessed a beautiful classical line and buttery soft feet. He was an attentive and emotion-driven partner who fully shared Odette’s stress. His double tours were especially clean with endings held in fifth position like double exclamation points. But his elevation and pirouettes were less than impressive. Generally speaking, we found the men in the company noticeably less skillful than the ballerinas who would have held their own with most any company that has danced here. Especially noticeable was the expressive bend and sweep of the upper bodies of the swans. Very English and very pretty, indeed.

 

We thoroughly enjoyed many of Derek Deane’s artistic choices – from the Von Rothbard character who was part monster, part bird complete with a pecking tic to the vibrant Neapolitan duet danced by a peasant boy and girl. The Neapolitan wasn’t the Ashton version, but it certainly was in the same vein with terrifically complex allegro that had so many changes in direction at high speed that the dancers nearly didn’t have time to put their feet on the floor. 

 

The Corps de Ballet that included 48 swans looked sensational on the stage and spoiled us for all future swan corps. Forget mirrors – 48 swans make a flocking statement. They moved as one, breathed as one, and used the space as though it was their home stage. A couple of times, there was evidence of over-drilling when they all descended to their B+ positions with a clomp. It was so nice to see the pointe shoes’ shine buffed off with makeup that we won’t even complain about the Gaynor Minden-like shape of them. These were serious artists who were dedicated to the classical art form and committed to proper placement of every finger. The swan corps is no place for egos wanting to celebrate their individuality. This Shanghai Ballet corps certainly understood the importance of its role in Swan Lake and seemed happy that their efforts were warmly appreciated by the audience. 

 

The H.H. Pump Bump Award, a corps of gold winged stilettos, is bestowed upon the Shanghai Ballet Corps de Ballet.

 

observations 1/14

Today Haglund encountered a huge flock of swans hiking west down W. 62nd St after rehearsal. The Shanghai Ballet opens its Swan Lake on 1/17 at Lincoln Center. We'll be there for the Friday and Saturday evening performances. NYCB Orchestra is in the pit. Tickets are reasonably priced from $36. The company has been directed by Derek Deane for a while now which suggests that all their ducks swans will be in a row. Not a pinky will be out of place -- just the way we like it.

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NYCB posted the second week of casting. Ashley Bouder is still listed for all of her performances next week and additional performances in the second week even though she's currently walking around in an ortho boot – again. Here's wishing for more transparency.

This could be a stressful evening. The Jeopardy gladiators clash again tonight followed by the can't-get-the-fire-going Democrats in debate over each other's purity.

 

 

observations 1/10

Oh my goodness, this is good news.

Eric Tamm is back. Happy New Year!

Five years ago Tamm and Luis Ribagorda walked out of ABT after having had enough of watching McKenzie wipe the noses and butts of countless guest artists while ignoring the home grown talent. We had some say about it back then. Tamm always had an elegant warm/cool assured stage presence that harmonized with any of his ballerinas. He was a reason to buy tickets. He was a reason to rejoice at ABT when there was precious little other reason to be happy. Five years is a long time to be gone, but it's also five years with no injuries or wear & tear. We hope he's in tiptop shape.

If Ratmansky puts this guy in a red Désiré coat and a tri-corner hat, Haglund will put himself in the front row of the Met -- so long as Aurora isn't the equinarina or fakerina. We see two open slots in Sleeping Beauty where Tamm (and/or Hoven) would fit like a glove.

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Who, besides Haglund, missed the ballet Jeopardy clue last night?

Answer (the DAILY DOUBLE): A pas de deux based on music by Samuel Barber premiered in 1975 with Baryshnikov as Jason and Carla Fracci as her.

Brad Rutter without any hesitation: Who is Medea?

Damn. Who could remember that? It didn't even happen in New York. 😸

 

observations 1/8

Since we've missed every single Jeopardy clue so far tonight, let's take a break and talk ballet.

The Bolshoi Ballet casting for the 1/26 cinemacast of Ratmansky's new staging of Giselle has been announced as follows:

Giselle – Sunday, January 26, 2020 at 12:55 p.m. ET and PT, 11:55am MT, and 10:55am CT
Choreography: Jean Coralli, Jules Perrot, Marius Petipa
New Choreographic Version: Alexei Ratmansky
Conductor: Pavel Klinichev

CAST
Giselle: Olga Smirnova
Count Albrecht: Artemy Belyakov
Berthe, Giselle’s Mother: Anna Antropova
Hans, The Gamekeeper: Denis Savin
Giselle’s Friends: Xenia Averina, Bruna Cantanhede Galianone, Anonina Chapkina,
Olga Kishnyova, Elizabeta Kruteleva, Yulia Skvortsova, Tatiana Tiliguzova, Alexandra Trikoz
Peasant Pas de Deux: Daria Khokhlova, Alexei Putintsev
Bathilde: Nelli Kobakhidze
Myrtha: Angelina Vlashinets
Moina: Xenia Zhiganshina
Zulma: Anastasia Denisova

Check in with www.bolshoiballetincinema.com  for cinema locations and times in your city. By the way, if the cinemacast conflicts with your plans to see NYCB, keep in mind that Symphony Space will be showing Giselle on the following Tuesday 1/28 at 1pm.

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Speaking of NYCB – lots of fabulous casting has been announced for the first week of the Winter Season. Especially exciting is the featuring of Erica Pereira and Harrison Ball in Danses Concertantes which opens the season on January 21st and in La Source at the Saturday matinee. We've been fascinated by the growth of both artists in the past year and are looking forward to seeing what each brings out in the other. We're hopeful that Tiler and Tyler will be in awesome form for Allegro Brilliante on Wednesday the 22nd. All the casts of Stravinsky Violin Concerto look to rock this ballet. And at the Sunday matinee we'll be treated to the debuts of Brittany Pollack and Daniel Applebaum in Danses Concertantes and Mira Nadon with Adrian Danching-Waring in Monumentum & Movements.

We have tickets for every performance. See ya there.

 

NYCB – Resting on Nutcracker

New York City Ballet’s 2019 Nutcracker season wasn’t exactly a disaster. Day-old bread isn’t a disaster either; it’s edible.

While dancers complained about hearing the music for the Sugar Plum Fairy over and over again in malls and in stores everywhere, the public complained about being served up the same ballerinas over and over again in the iconic Sugarplum Fairy role while being denied the joy of unwrapping new Sugar Plum Fairies at Christmastime. It was the type of entitlement-casting that Wendy Whelan and Ashley Bouder have espoused over the past few years. Tenure doesn’t belong in professional ballet any more than it belongs in professional football. Eli Manning doesn’t have tenure. Tom Brady doesn’t have tenure. They have to continually prove their worth every week by winning — not by going on Instagram. 

 

Week after week during this Nutcracker season we saw names go up on the casting sheets for Sugarplum Fairy that should not have been there more than once or twice in the season but ended up being posted four and five times over the course of the run. And week after week, ballerinas cancelled their shows as easily as cancelling a manicure appointment. Abi Stafford cancelled five dates while still performing across town in Dances Patrelle’s student Nutcracker. Abi, who has 20+ years in, has for the past few years seemed to be an auxiliary principal who was coasting along on tenure. She announced that she won’t retire until 2022 when she graduates from law school. If ever there was a ballerina who should be retired now, it is Abi. NYCB is no place for a coasting principal ballerina who is hanging on for the employee benefits. Maria Kowroski cancelled half of her Sugar Plum Fairy performances after a disappointing start to the season. Sara Mearns cancelled a performance after combining NYCB responsibilities with various outside gigs that proved too much for her calf to sustain. We were spared four or five performances of Bouder in SPF, a role now unsuited to her, only because she got injured prior to the season. But her sense of entitlement propelled her to force herself back to the center of attention despite her chronic tendon problem. 

 

So we didn’t get a new Sugarplum Fairy for Christmas. Not Maxwell, not Clark, not Kikta, not LaFreniere, not the ever-accelerating and charming half-pints Magill and Junior Von Enck. But the old girls can breathe easier – whew, tenure saved their asses again. Thank the gods for entitlement in Club Ballet, right? Too bad about all the empty seats but, like, so what?

 

Haglund only went to a few Nutcracker performances this year due to the pricing and casting. The most stellar performances came courtesy of Lauren King who, along with Brittany Pollack, is woefully underemployed as a soloist — overdue for promotion to principal, ready to take on Allegro Brillante, Theme and Variations, and other big ballerina roles. Lauren had the misfortune of coming into the company at the same time as Tiler Peck and Sara Mearns who immediately garnered everyone’s attention. She has kept her nose to the grind working diligently which has resulted in a steady but mostly inconspicuous rise to exceptional excellence. Her Sugarplum Fairy glistened in articulation and glowed with warmth. The speed and lightness of her Dewdrop left contrails when she jumped or spun her chaine turns.  

 

Also outstanding was Sean Suozzi whose Herr Drosselmeier was mysterious with a dab of oily. Materializing from and disappearing into the darkness with the deftness of a magician, he was the family member who no one really knew. 

 

We caught the penultimate performance of the season led by Tiler Peck and Tyler Angle. Clearly, Tiler’s back was bothering her. Flexibility was non-existent and the arabesques were achieved more by opening up the hip than by using the back. It seemed to be a premature return to the stage — a risk not worth taking, particularly when there are very capable junior ballerinas lined up waiting for their first starts. Tyler, aside from expertly protecting his ballerina, had a dreadful performance. The Cavalier has so little to do in the way of a variation, but somehow, it eludes many of the NYCB men time and time again. This time, Tyler struggled through the majority of his turns a la seconde and then finished with his ass to the audience — and laughed about it. There seems to be a lot of that going around: screwing up on stage and laughing about it. How about being embarrassed, humiliated, and apologetic for not being prepared to dance the role?

 

Cainan Weber, an apprentice, showed great promise as the lead Candy Cane. He had a minor mess-up with the hoop but his energy, charisma, and joy of dancing made him very watchable. Kennard Henson, who had a fabulous performance as the Soldier earlier in the season, flatlined as Tea. He’s got a mammoth gymnastic split jump but doesn’t have a double pirouette or a double tour. How did this guy get out of SAB without being able to do a double pirouette and a double tour? How can double pirouette be a problem for any dancer in the New York City Ballet?

 

We were hoping for better performances from Daniel Applebaum and Megan LeCrone this season. Applebaum looked almost sickly weak as the Cavalier to Lauren King’s Sugarplum Fairy. He looked more emaciated than in the past and couldn’t muster the strength in his long arms to lift Lauren as he should have. His variation looked like he was marking the steps and his feet were not strongly pointed. Speaking of which, we didn’t see Megan LeCrone point the supporting foot on very many of the saute arabesques in Dewdrop. It was nice to see short spurts of festive expression, but overall, it was a dark, dark Dewdrop.

 

Props to the Snowflakes and Flowers for thrilling Haglund for the zillionth time. We only saw one little dark-haired dancer who couldn’t beat the cabrioles to the back – repeatedly – but everyone else seemed to take pride in doing them magnificently. There is enough outstanding talent in the women’s corps to make another entire company of stars. Why can’t some of the tenured primas take a Nutcracker season off once in a while to allow the company to rejuvenate? It’s time to get re-building the House of Balanchine so that it looks like the House of Balanchine again as opposed to an assisted living facility for dancers who can’t leave the stage.

 

Our Nutcracker season-ending H.H. Pump Bump Award of diamonds and gold is bestowed upon the many ladies in the Corps de Ballet who should know we all feel your frustration and to Lauren King who hopefully will soon be recognized for the exemplary ballerina that she is.