Haglund's Heel

Amar Ramasar's Farewell When the entire season turns out to be a festival

Rebirth, renewal, healing, immortality, eternal fire. New York City Ballet’s Spring Season could have been called Festival of the Phoenix. Down the artists went due to injury and positive COVID tests — one at a time, sometimes four, five, six at a time — up rose artists who stepped in to propel the season forward; down more dancers went, up rose others. And so it went for six weeks. By the end of the season on Sunday, every dancer on that stage had raised his or her performance level beyond what even, I don’t know, beyond what even Mom could expect. 

 

These days astonishingly brilliant and sensitive artists are NYCB’s pocket change. Each day Artistic Director Stafford jingles the shiny coins in his pocket and muses “What shall I pull out today? Perhaps this silver dollar of the statuesque Lady Liberty with flowing hair? Or maybe I’ll flip the gold double eagle onto the stage tonight.” Deep, deep pockets of talent.

 

This was a season when Stravinsky and Robbins shared the spotlight with Balanchine. The two weeks of ballets to Stravinsky’s music served as a deep cleansing that released our primitive responses to his rhythms. In Symphony in Three Movements, Ashley Laracey was suddenly recruited to dance the lead in every performance in place of Sterling Hyltin and Tiler Peck and also had to dance her lead in Stravinsky Violin Concerto that same week. One would have expected that the taxing week would end with appearances of fatigue. Instead, Ashley’s stamina and authority visibly grew throughout the grueling week and culminated in — you guessed it — COVID. So we got gypped out of her debut as Polyhymnia in Apollo the following week. 

 

Stravinsky once said “What gives the artist real prestige is his imitators.” In the midst of the Stravinsky Festival came a new collaboration by former NYCB dancer Silas Farley and composer David K. Israel entitled Architects of Time. The musical genesis was a tune that Balanchine thought up for Stravinsky’s birthday and which Stravinsky later elaborated with harmonies. Israel used the tune as a basis for a composition that was Stravinsky-like but also tended to swerve into cinema-type music. It was very listenable. Farley’s choreography was far more sophisticated than anticipated - unlike his earlier work of classroom style combinations. The corps work showed real imagination, organization, and musicality. The solos, less so, and there was a need for more dancers on stage to augment the soloists; but we’re confident that this skill will develop and we look forward to seeing more of his classical-based work. The whole of the piece was a very pleasant experience helped in no small way by the handsome red, gold, and maroon costumes designed by Farley’s wife, Cassia. 

 

All of the corps dancers in Farley’s piece were wonderfully appealing. Our eyes were drawn to the crisp lines and emphatic dancing of tall Samuel Melnikov and petite Lauren Collett. Subsequently, we learned that the tall dancer in the back line of SAB students in Scherzo a la Russe who monopolized our attention was also a Collett — a taller one. Does it seem to anyone else that the second batch of siblings that comes out of SAB is usually taller than the first? Hopefully we’ll see both of these sisters dancing side by side in the corps very soon.

 

As a lead up to a short week of Robbins programing, Stravinsky/Robbins The Cage arrived with a brilliant arachnoid debut by Alexa Maxwell as The Novice. She shot right to the top with this one — an interpretation so developed and detailed that one could sense the sticky spider silk oozing from her glands as she prepared her victims, Chun Wai Chan and Jonathan Fahoury. Chilling was her expression after snapping Fahoury’s neck. Then a half hour later he was standing gallantly behind her in Rubies. We think we noticed a little extra snap of his own that he delivered on a few of the lifts — which was only fair.

 

The Robbins program of Piano Pieces and The Four Seasons was a pleasant combination (always love the one-intermission evenings) that along with The Cage and the Kastchei section of Firebird reminded us of Robbins’ versatility and imagination. Piano Pieces is not Dances at a Gathering at all, but a result of the evolutionary process. The pas de deux by Emilie Gerrity and Jovani Furlan was one of the most intimate, communicative performances of the season. Furlan’s hopeful search for his partner’s eyes was like something one might observe happening between a couple on a bench in Central Park. The sensitivity of that performance put Haglund squarely in the Furlan fan corner. 

 

A Midsummer Night’s Dream enjoyed one of its most extraordinary seasons in recent memory. Unity Phelan was a stunning beauty as Titania — benevolent, light as air, strong as steel, as genuine a character as could be. We couldn’t stop marveling at the rotation of her legs in developpes and how her feet powered her limbs so easily from position to position. The battements to six o’clock penche supported arabesques looked like they were driven by gusts of wind. Emilie Gerrity also debuted as a very lovely Titania, slightly more reserved than Unity but nevertheless impressive.

 

Daniel Ulbricht’s Oberon combined comedic expression with skimming allegro to be the most theatrically Shakespearean of this year’s crew.  Anthony Huxley danced his Oberon with his coveted clarity and musicality. Roman Mejia’s excitement sometimes got the best of him in his unscheduled Oberon debut. His first beat combination inexplicably finished in a widely opened first position; his face held an expression of “OMG, where am I in this variation?” Roman has a charming theatrical manner and natural rapport with the audience, but he beats up every phrase and doesn’t pay attention to his lines, especially when he’s in the air. The lovely burning embers of Fall colors in The Four Seasons became his Flames of Paris with the entire city burning down. His Oberon couldn’t stop grabbing at the audience with grins and head whips. Youth is on his side. Hopefully, some of these issues will resolve themselves because NYCB doesn’t really need an Ivan Vasiliev trampling over Balanchine’s choreography. Harsh, perhaps, but we adore this dancer.

 

Harrison Ball’s Puck was a masterpiece. Oh my goodness. A little dose of Nijinsky released all the elfish mischief of this magical Puck. His dramatic extremes were perfectly calculated in every respect. Such wonderful theatrical delivery and beautiful dancing, especially the accelerating jetes. 

 

Alexa Maxwell’s Butterfly and Emily Kikta’s Hippolyta were mere hints of how important these two artists are going to be to the company’s future. Each dancer raised the bar on her role and re-set our expectations for all future performances by anyone. Within the corps, it was hard not to see the future Titania and Oberon in Christina Clark and Davide Riccardo. Both are such eye-catching dancers with scrupulous technique.

 

Andrew Veyette began the Divertissement with the luminous Sterling Hyltin gently guiding her through jumps and turns. At the conclusion of his variation, he threw off a rock solid four or five revolution pirouette in salute to the man of the hour. And so began the audience’s salute to Amar Ramasar.

 

Loved by the audience for more than two decades of which nearly 13 years were spent as a Principal Dancer, Amar was closing out his career with a bum calf which necessitated Veyette to sub for him during the first half of the Divertissement. Amar, you may recall, was in the spectacular promotion class of Tyler Angle, Tiler Peck, Teresa Reichlen, and Robert Fairchild - a class seemingly destined for drama but that’s all we’ll say about that.

 

Not always the prince but very close by, Amar was a prized partner who made each of his ballerinas look her most brilliant. Audiences especially loved him for his mastery of Balanchine’s black & white ballets. He put out so much effort and energy that he often looked spent by the end of the ballet but spent with a high wattage smile that reached every heart in the theater. His custom throughout his career has been to tap his heart as he leaves the front of the curtain after bows. Yesterday he tapped. We tapped back. He tapped. We tapped back. For about 20 minutes. He was consumed by gratitude and love for his colleagues and audience. We were consumed by gratitude and love for the artist.

 

The occasion of Amar’s retirement happily brought several people who we have missed back into the theater: Gonzalo Garcia, Joaquin De Luz, Maria Kowroski, Zachary Catazaro, and most notably Peter Martins who created the opportunities for Amar to study ballet, have a career, and to blossom into the unique and adored artist that he became. Spotting Martins standing in the side aisle, Amar made his way to the stage corner, dropped off the side of the stage and gave him a huge hug -- completing this artist's cycle from start to finish.

 

Our H.H. Pump Award, Daniela Auribe's Love Yourself stiletto, is bestowed upon Amar Ramasar for more than two decades of his beautiful artistry. What a pleasure it has been to watch.

 

 

 

Susan Jaffe to succeed Kevin McKenzie at ABT

ABT's board has hired Susan Jaffe to replace Kevin McKenzie who will retire as Artistic Director at the end of 2022. She's only eight years younger than McKenzie; so it's not like there is a generational change in leadership coming. They were Romeo and Juliet together under Baryshnikov's directorship.

It feels more like ABT's board has opted to place the company in custodial foster care for the time being -- making sure that it does no harm while perhaps kicking a more long term decision down the road for the next Board Chair and President to grapple with. But we have to ask -- what prevented the board from snagging one of the more exciting, accomplished ABT alumni who was of a more recent generation? Was it the low pay? Was it the Woke Agenda? Was it current contractual obligations at another company? Was it not enough financial resources to run the company as it should be run? Was it candidates' refusal to compromise on standards of excellence that could derail or delay or disrupt the board's diversity initiative?

Susan Jaffe was a much admired principal dancer at ABT for a long time. After her retirement, there was eye rolling and light laughter when it was announced that Lewis Ranieri (ABT's Board Chair) would hire her as his "advisor." Ranieri spent a lot of his money on ABT and was for all intents and purposes the company's sugar daddy. He ran the show as he wished and even had an office at ABT's studios. People wondered why in the world he would want or need Susan Jaffe as an "advisor" and what was her job going to be? That question was never really answered. Jaffe needed a salary, just like anyone else, and Ranieri was willing to help her out. But what did she actually accomplish as his advisor for five years? Does anyone know? Did the board ask during candidate interviews?

For the next six or seven years she functioned as an independent choreographer until 2012 when she became a dean at UNC School of the Arts. That institution used to be a veritable pipeline of talent to ABT. Gillian Murphy, Keith Roberts, Maria Riccetto, Isaac Stappas, Blaine Hoven all came through the high school division of the institution. NYCB's Megan LeCrone came through the School of the Arts, too. But during Susan Jaffe's eight years as dean, were dancers developed far enough along  to make it into ABT? Did the ballet students from UNC School of the Arts find jobs in major ballet companies? While it's great that Jaffe was able to raise scholarship money, what about the quality of students and their success at finding work in major ballet companies? Did the board ask during candidate interviews?

Then after several years, Jaffe became the artistic director at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre in 2020. The majority of her time there has been dealing with the effects of the pandemic. She created a new Swan Lake, but it just hit the stage last Friday and there haven't been any reviews yet. So what are Jaffe's accomplishments at PBT -- measurable accomplishments? Did the board ask during candidate interviews?

Jaffe may be able to lift ABT out of whatever ails it. Let's all cheer her on and wish her lots of luck. But at this moment, the appointment feels like custodial foster care because the measurable metrics that would point to a strong candidate just aren't present. We all know that the board's choice could have been so much worse. We've avoided a disaster, but that in itself is not progress.

 

Bad form in ballet

Maybe it’s their therapists’ fault. The oh-so-sensitive artists run off to therapy to make the case how they feel victimized by the employer, society, or the world. 

The artist cries, "They’ve done this to me. I didn’t fall out of shape, lose technique, get injured, grow older, become distracted, or start coasting because of my own doing. It was their fault.” 

 

The therapist says, “Life certainly should not be this unfair to you. Stand up for yourself. You’re strong enough to do that. That will be $200. Let’s continue our sessions three times per week.” 

 

The artist exclaims, “I feel so much better after our sessions. I’m empowered!” 

 

The therapist baits, “Of course you are empowered - that will be another $50 - assert yourself. Blow your horn. Go after what you want.” 

 

The artist asks, “Blow my horn? You mean, create a kerfuffle?” 

 

The therapist says, “If that’s what you need to do. Actually, I hate to say this, but - your time’s up for today.”

 

The surprised artist whines, “My time’s up?”

 

The therapist says, “Yes, I’m afraid so.”

 

Oh, good lord, what is there to say about these few obnoxious, over-entitled dancers who think that life owes them fairness and that they have every right to cat-scratch anyone who gets in their way. In the past few weeks, we have seen such ugliness from artists who we once admired for their dancing. They can’t currently dance, so they have to find some other way to grab the spotlight. It is and always has been a matter of grabbing the spotlight - any way they can get it.

 

In a week when a new brightly talented soloist stepped in to carry all of the performances of Firebird because other artists were injured, did the injured artists offer support and encouragement? Hell, no. Instead, they resorted to microaggressions by posting pictures of themselves as the Firebird on Instagram to remind everyone that they are the true owners of role and to try to dim enthusiasm for the debuting dancer. One injured artist, in particular, posted a mugshot of herself in Firebird headgear with a menacing expression, purportedly to convey unhappiness about the political climate, when in fact she wanted everyone to know how pissed off she was at not being the center of attention on stage as the Firebird.

 

In a week when the brilliance of the Balanchine/Stravinsky collaboration is being celebrated at NYCB, an injured dancer reaches out to the New York Times to convey how he is uncomfortable with the choreography and with playing the role it requires. Imagine this scenario. The veteran line worker at the Pringles factory in Podunk walks into the supervisor’s office and says, “You know, I’m not comfortable making Pringles any more. They are full of fat, sodium, and artificial ingredients. They can contribute to heart disease, diabetes, and cancer if people eat them. And, they can be addictive. I’m just not comfortable making these Pringles any more. What should we do, Boss?” We imagine that certain NYCB dancers would answer that Pringles manufacturing should be halted or the recipe should be changed. In their world, their sanctimony is just as important as their saut de chat.

 

In a week when New York City Ballet’s artistry has soared under its new leadership and new generation of dancers, a retired artist whose dancing should have required her to retire years earlier decided to air her gossipy, Page Six type family drama in The New York Times where the catchline All the news that’s fit to print has become All the views that are fit to skip. At her final performance, the complaining dancer's conditioning and technical level were mediocre. Regardless of the number of years that she may have chalked up as a dancer, she did not at that moment possess the qualifying skills to stand on New York City Ballet’s stage. But she was determined to celebrate herself, and New York City Ballet generously allowed her to do so even if it made the audience cringe.

 

What dancers do best is dance. We admire them so much when they present their best feet forward. Microaggressions, self-pity, ugly anger that can’t mask the underlying selfishness, and striking out at those who made their careers possible is damaging way beyond their chosen words. The end of a career should not come as a brutal fight to the finish line or an “I’ll die on this hill before giving it up” battle. Class counts for a lot. Every dancer should remember that.

 

Class counts.

 

NYCB Firebird Red is her color

Haglund's phone was ringing off the hook at the beginning of the week with calls from Weidman, Michigan. The Incredible Dr. Pol was being a nuisance.

"Haglund, can you please get me tickets to Isabella LaFreniere's Firebird? I need to see this!"
"Like I told you yesterday, Dr. Pol, a lot of people have been asking and I'm tapped out. Can I suggest that you contact Ms. LaFreniere directly?"
"The first time I saw her I knew that Michigan had produced another avian miracle who could eventually fly as high as our Maria Kowroski from Grand Rapids. These Firebirds are a rare sight up here - almost as rare as the Sirens who can charm the winds off the Lakes."
"Both are Pure Michigan, Dr. Pol, but I'm still tapped out."
"Okay, I'll call Maria. She owes me from when I consulted on a wing repair back in the day."

We can't confirm whether Dr. Pol has yet made it to Isabella's Firebird, but we can confirm that her first two performances were indeed miraculous. Red is her color. Rare is her quality. Her entrance, a simple arrival and pose on pointe, was breathtakingly beautiful. There she stood under the spotlight, still as could be yet storing up the energy she would need to take flight if a predator suddenly appeared. And then came Ivan -- Jared Angle on the first night and Amar Ramasar on the second night, each debuting as was Isabella in the role of the Firebird.

Unlike the Firebird who can't resist dramatizing the character as Odette or the other Firebird who fashions herself as the bold huntress from Sylvia, this Firebird possessed a palette of colors in her interpretation that emphasized avian beauty and ease of flight. Her slightly exaggerated nervous stress at encountering Ivan and the almost immediate comfort in his caring arms was light with a touch of humor - this Firebird could have come from a fairy tale in the Little Golden Books Collection. Wondrous, brave, resplendent in line and carriage, she jumped effortlessly as though lifted by the winds, not pushed by power. Isabella's brightly painted Firebird elevated this fantastical production to new heights.

Both Jared and Amar projected the benevolence of Ivan while providing Isabella with their superb partnering skills. Emilie Gerrity and Miriam Miller shared the role of Ivan's Bride. Each increased the prominence of this role through the breadth and musicality of their dancing. And oh, oh, oh that Kastchei and his subjects -- one of whom nearly flattened Amar with the force of a horizontal body slam against his gut. It's hard not to admit that what brings the crowds out for the Firebird are its production values and Stravinsky's storytelling ability. The Chagall scenery and costume designs from 1945 are after nearly 80 years still spectacularly imaginative. That level of art is a treasure.

Preceding the Firebird was Balanchine's Symphony in Three Movements. The first performance didn't have the energy that we expected, likely due to the stress of so many late substitutions, but things certainly did pick up on the second night. Emma Von Enck, in a debut as the first pink leotard out on stage chasing after Troy Schumacher, pumped the je ne sais quois into this role that has been mostly missing. Even when this dancer is standing perfectly still, she is crackling with energy. Emilie Gerrity and Ashley Laracey completed the triptych each displaying sharply articulated lines and expansiveness. The Pas de Deux by Ashley and Taylor Stanley was beautiful for its warmth of rapport and the artists' sinewy interweaving arms. The corps de ballet was not as interesting as when there was a definitive slope in heights among the ladies in white. There are now just two tall dancers anchoring the downstage end with a muddling of heights moving upstage. Among the ladies in black leotards, Olivia MacKinnon caught our eye for her new confidence and very stretched lines. However, another of that crew continually had such a pained look on her face that we thought she might be going through intense labor without anesthesia.

The program also included a musical introduction of Stravinsky's Fireworks played powerfully by the New York City Ballet Orchestra. Why hasn't this orchestra had a date at Carnegie Hall? The Met Opera Orchestra plays there. The New York Phil plays there. Other local orchestras play there. Haglund was thinking about this a lot during last week's honey fest of Mozart, Debussy, Tschaikovsky and Hindemith.

Following the brief Fireworks, Justin Peck's Scherzo Fantastique received an energized performance by Brittany Pollack, Harrison Coll, Miriam Miller, and KJ Takahashi.

Our H.H. Pump Bump Award is bestowed upon Isabella LaFreniere for her magnificent and radiant performances of the Firebird. We can't wait for the next two this week.

 

 

NYC Ballet Spring Season Week 2The Soloists Have Taken Over the Franchise

. . . or so it seems.

 

Last week’s second installation of the Masters at Work program was masterful to the fourth power. Brilliant choreography, magnificent selection of music, dazzling dancing, and dynamic conducting made the four performances of Divertimento No. 15, Afternoon of a Faun, Allegro Brillante, and The Four Temperaments the life-affirming experiences that we can only count on New York City Ballet to deliver.

 

First the music. Of course we’re looking forward to the Stravinsky Festival this week and next. And we always love the Tschaikovsky programs when they are scheduled. But last week’s musical honey fest of Mozart, Debussy, Tschaikovsky, and Hindemith was the bees’ knees. All those light, sunny violins in Divertimento, the poetic flutes in Faun, the piano that raced to a Derby finish in Allegro Brillante, and the forceful pondering of the strings in 4Ts with the answering piano were an uplifting musical offering that produced much joy in the soul. Conductor Clotilde Otranto fed the dancers everything they needed in order to perform brilliantly in each piece. She just seems to know how to take the performance to its highest level.

 

Both principal casts of women in Divertimento No. 15 were sublime, elegant beauties who favored the heirloom rose by the same name. The costumes are probably Haglund’s most favorite costumes in all of ballet: pale yellow bodices atop cream tutus with little blue bows. The mere sight of them brings on happiness and optimism.

 

The always polished Sara Adams danced the first variation in both casts with a sophisticated stylishness. Her low port de bras presentation of small développés to the floor possessed a modesty that one doesn’t often find in other Balanchine choreography. Ashley Hod and Erica Periera alternated in the Second Variation; both were lovely and in complete control of the challenging turn combinations. Ashley Laracey and Unity Phelan made poetry out of the Third Variation’s tendues to the front-point back with sweeping port de bras in opposition. Emilie Gerrity and Emily Kikta each boldly danced the Fourth Variation that required grander developpes and a series of pirouettes where the passe preparation was turned-in instead of turned-out. At all four performances, Indiana Woodward beamed brilliantly in the Sixth Variation with her racing piques, prickly point walking, a beautiful diagonal of en dedans/en dehors pirouettes.

 

Except for some musical confusion at the very first performance, all of the men were sensational as well. Principals Joseph Gordon and Peter Walker were equally commanding in their lead variations. It has been so satisfying to watch each of these dancers, who began as wet-behind-the-ears rather skinny corps men not so many years ago, develop into confident, gallant, powerful partners as principal dancers. Their variations included phrases familiar to us from what the ladies had danced, but they were of course done in a more weighted, powered manner.

 

Daniel Applebaum & Sebastian Villarini-Velez and Harrison Coll & Aaron Sanz danced the very challenging Theme at alternate performances. The corps de ballet, except for the first performance, were picture perfect and beautiful in their white and blue tutus.

 

Robbins’ Afternoon of a Faun was performed at alternating performances by Sterling Hyltin & Adrian Danchig-Waring and Unity Phelan & Christopher Grant. The pairs had different interpretations of the ballet but each of their performances captivated the viewer. In his role debut, Adrian communicated the narcissism that compelled the dancer to continually gaze at himself in the mirror. While we don’t know for sure, we guess that this was a challenge for the seemingly humble being who focuses on his art without inviting the self to interfere unduly. In a highly individual interpretation, Christopher Grant fixated his eyes on Unity in astonishment and wonder at the beauty of the being who entered his life for this brief interlude. It was as though he was in the middle of a wild dream and he just let it carry him wherever it wanted to go. At bows, he expressed relief and flashed a smile — this guy has a million dollar grill that he all but hides from us.

 

Sterling and Unity chose different interpretations for their roles. Unity’s was more typical of what we see: a beautiful woman, somewhat aloof and distant, intermittently communicative — more of a dreamy vision than a real person. Sterling, on the other hand, was a woman who was very real and present as compared to Adrian’s dream-like quality. Both interpretations were enjoyable.

 

We’re grateful for having had the opportunity to see Tiler Peck in four performances of Allegro Brillante in one week: two opposite Roman Mejia and two opposite Tyler Angle. She seemed in much better, less fragile condition than over the winter season, which is good to see. Sometimes the arabesque drooped a bit but plenty of times it was strong and clear. She delivered great speed and lovely turns although she chose to opt out of triple pirouettes on a couple of occasions.

 

What Roman lacks in line, he makes up for with energy and excitement. Allegro Brillante is the closest he will get to Don Q at NYCB. So why not throw the head and hair in the downstage corner when the opportunity presents itself? We’re not really complaining. He did a fine job and performed with his signature fire and fury. His partnering is much improved, but he still has a ways to go to match Tyler Angle’s skills which are still supreme.

 

The Four Temperaments was absolutely thrilling at each performance. Both casts of Sanguinic — Ashley Hod with Peter Walker and Emilie Gerrity with Gilbert Bolden — tussled magnificently. The Sanguinista Guerrillas (Lauren Collett, Gabriella Domini, Quinn Starner, Rommie Tomasini) wore take-no-prisoners expressions as they marched ferociously behind Ms. Sanguinic.

 

Amar Ramasar signed off on Phlegmatic with a huge performance. One sensed how he savored every moment like he was trying to store away treasure for safekeeping. A well deserved solo curtain bow sent the loving audience into a tizzy. 

 

Emily Kikta’s Choleric shot out of a cannon to land mid-stage and then she used her powerful limbs to gun down everything in her way. This lady was angry, no two ways about it. We were glad that she got it out of her system in time to deliver such beauty at the next performance in Divertimento No. 15. It has been such a pleasure to see this artist finally unleashed. Haglund still remembers when Peter Martins introduced her to us almost ten years ago in Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet. She had joined the corps the prior summer and made such an entrance and impression in the ballet that we simply could not stop thinking about her and looking forward to her every performance. She has shone spectacularly in every role she has danced. 

 

Our H.H. Pump Bump Award, Alexander McQueen’s pale yellow crystal embellished sandal, is bestowed upon Emily Kikta for her bold, beautiful dancing in Divertimento No. 15 and in Choleric.