NYCB 'Nutcracker' 12/9/2015

WEDNESDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 9, 7:00 PM (Conductor: Capps)

SUGARPLUM: Reichlen Mearns; 
CAVALIER: T. Angle; 
DEWDROP: M. Fairchild; 
HERR DROSSELMEIER: La Fosse+; 
MARZIPAN: Lovette; 
HOT CHOCOLATE: Muller, Applebaum; 
COFFEE: Krohn; TEA: Villarini-Velez; 
CANDY CANE: Ball; 
MOTHER GINGER: Sanz; 
FLOWERS: Mann, Adams; 
DOLLS: Von Enck, MacKinnon; 
SOLDIER: Kayali;
MOUSE KING: Thew; 
FRAU & DR STAHLBAUM: Anderson, Catazaro

We saw New York City Ballet perform 'George Balanchine's The Nutcracker' on the evening of our 49th anniversary.  We've probably seen this production over 70 times and it is always a high point of our holidays.  Of course the Company has been performing it since February, 1954, well before either of us had arrived in New York City. 

At this performance the orchestra, conducted by Stuart Capps, was merely adequate.  This was a small-scaled, conventional reading of Tschaikovsky's famous and familiar score that would not be out of place in any elevator in town. It lacked the grand sweep and subtle nuance that this production requires to be its very best.

Despite these musical reservations, it was a unique performance filled with wonderful dancing and special theatrical felicities.  Marika Anderson and Zachary Catazaro presided over the opening party scene with warmth and grace.  The guests and their children (students from the School of American Ballet) were just at the sweet spot in this 46-performance run where they become comfortable in their roles, but are not yet bored.  Aaron Plous as Fritz was gleefully mischievous, Natalie Glassie wavered between solemn and sweet as Marie (and later as The Little Princess) and F. Henry Berlin as Drosselmeier's nephew (later The Nutcracker and The Little Prince) was suitably handsome, polite and aloof.

Robert LaFosse as Herr Drosselmeier reveals the nutcracker in the Party Scene.
Photo by Andrea Mohin for NYTimes

As Drosselmeier, Robert LaFosse, a guest artist and former principal dancer with the Company, enchanted the party guests with his antics and his mechanical dolls -- Olivia MacKinnon and Claire Von Enck as Harlequin and Columbine, and Ghaleb Kayali as the Soldier.  When Drosselmeier returns to repair the nutcracker which Fritz had broken during the party, LaFosse made him mysterious and quite mad without letting him become too creepy or sinister.

The giant mice arrived to menace Marie, the tree grew, the army of toy soldiers assembled to defend her, and the Nutcracker was awakened to do battle with the multi-headed Mouse King.  Then the Nutcracker was transformed into the Little Prince who crowned Marie his Little Princess and lead her into the Land of Snow.

Snowflakes in the blizzard.  Photo by Andrea Mohin for NYTimes

Balanchine's choreography for the sixteen Snowflakes is pure crystalline perfection -- swirling, multifaceted shapes coalesce and fragment in a blizzard of invention.  The corps -- including four apprentices from the School of American Ballet -- was beautifully prepared, crisp and incisive.

Corps of sixteen Snowflakes.  Photo by Paul Kolnik for NYC Ballet

As the curtain rose on Act II we were in The Land of Sweets -- the domain of Teresa Reichlen's regal and gracious Sugarplum Fairy.  We were greeted by 12 tiny Angels (from SAB, of course) performing one of Balanchine's great dances for children.  The palpable concentration on these tiny faces as they criss-cross the stage is always the sweetest moment in the ballet for me.  They were joined by Ms. Reichlen's Sugarplum.  Bonding with her young subjects is always the first test of an authentic Sugarplum -- Reichlen passed with flying colors -- beckoning each little Angel to cross in front of her and then leading them in a circular tour of the stage before dancing her variation under their adoring gaze.

Teresa Reichlen as the Sugarplum Fairy.   Photo by Paul Kolnik for NYC Ballet

Then we were introduced to the Sugarplum's entire court -- Hot Chocolate, Coffee, Tea, Candy Canes, Marzipan Shepherdesses, Polichinelles, and Dewdrop with her corps of Flowers -- before The Little Prince and Princess arrived in their walnut shell boat.  Prompted by the Sugarplum, F. Henry Berlin as the Little Prince described his triumph over the Mouse King in very precise and expansive mime**.  Delighted by his account of the battle, the Sugarplum escorted the Little Prince and Princess to a place of honor where they watched the divertissements unfold.

Among the dancers in the divertissements, I was particularly impressed by the stretch and snap Gwyneth Muller's Hot Chocolate; by the crisp swagger of Harrison Ball's Candy Cane; and by the delicacy and clear articulation of Lauren Lovette (newly returned from surgery) as the Marzipan Shepherdess.  The voluptuous sensuality of Rebecca Krohn's Coffee was nearly undone by the intransigent tempo from the pit, but she prevailed.

Rebecca Krohn as Coffee.  Photo by Paul Kolnik for NYC Ballet

Emerging from her garden of fourteen lovely Flowers, Megan Fairchild's Dewdrop was a revelation.  After a year on Broadway in 'On the Town', Megan's dancing seems to have acquired both larger scale, greater attack and hints of Broadway bravura.  She has always been a superb technician, but here technique was coupled with both nuanced musical phrasing and knowing theatricality that soared over and around the four-square music from the pit.  We truly saw the music at its best while hearing it at its most banal. 

Megan Fairchild as Dewdrop in Waltz of the Flowers.  Photo by Paul Kolnik for NYC Ballet

Of course, the SAB students that populate the second act (as in the first act) -- The Little Prince and Princess, the Angels, the Candy Canes, and the Polichinelles -- are all adorable and well-prepared by Children's Ballet Master Dena Abergel and Assistance Children's Ballet Master Arch Higgins.  And for a change, the Polichinelles weren't completely upstaged by the outrageous behavior of Mother Ginger as played by Aaron Sanz.  

Children's Ballet Master Dena Abergel rehearsing the children from the School of American Ballet.
Photo by Agaton Strom for Wall Street Journal

Five SAB apprentices scattered throughout the ensembles added notes of eager spontaneity to Hot Chocolate and Waltz of the Flowers as well.

The grand pas de deux for the Sugarplum and her Cavalier is usually the crest of this enormous swell of dance invention.  Since Ms. Reichlen stepped in to replace Sara Mearns -- who was injured when her shoe split apart on her first entrance as Dewdrop earlier in the season -- I assume that Reichlen and Tyler Angle had limited rehearsal time together.  Both are gifted dancers -- who may even have danced these roles together in previous seasons -- but here they were missing the ultimate polish that makes this piece truly unforgettable. They were fine, but the arc of dance perfection had crested a few moments earlier with Megan Fairchild's exquisite (and show-biz savvy) Dewdrop.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

** One year we attended a seminar at the School of American Ballet where Peter Boal (then a member of SAB's faculty) taught The Little Prince's mime scene to one of the student candidates for the part of The Little Prince.  Peter's explanation of the gestures always comes back to mind whenever we watch this mime scene unfold.

Peter Boal as The Little Prince in 1975.  Photo by Martha Swope

As a young student Peter Boal first danced in Balanchine's Nutcracker as a party guest, before undertaking the role of Drosselmeier's Nephew/The Nutcracker/The Little Prince at age ten in 1975 -- when George Balanchine was still alive and actively involved in staging the ballet.  A few years later Peter was the teen-age boy who crouches under the bed and provides its locomotion.  He went on to dance most of the adult roles in the ballet culminating with The Sugarplum Fairy's Cavalier.  In 2014 he even made one guest appearance with NYC Ballet as Herr Drosselmeier.  

As the Artistic Director of Pacific Northwest Ballet, Peter has just unveiled his own staging of Balanchine's Nutcracker for that company.  He will play the role of Herr Drosselmeier at several PNB performances this season.

The Little Prince has been the launching pad for several distinguished ballet careers in addition to Peter Boal's -- including those of Eliot Feld (who originated the role) and Jacques d'Amboise. 

Jacques d'Amboise as The Little Prince.  Photo by Martha Swope

And don't forget that as a student in St. Petersburg, George Balanchine played The Little Prince himself.  In the early days of this production Balanchine also played Herr Drosselmeier -- including in the first television production of the ballet.

  

    

More Ballet Quibbles and Bits

SAB's Holiday Showcase by Advanced Students

Because I usually work as a volunteer at School of American Ballet on Thursday afternoons, on the Thursday before the holiday break in December I was lucky enough to be included in the audience of staff and faculty for SAB's Advanced Division students' performance of variations they had learned during the fall.  It included all of the advanced students who were physically able (injuries and flu had taken a toll) performing variations from 'Raymonda Variations', 'La Source', 'Agon', 'Stars and Stripes', 'Donizetti Variations', 'Symphonie Concertante' (all by Balanchine), 'Russian Seasons' (by Alexei Ratmansky) and probably several others that I can't recall.  These were performed by groups of three, four or five students -- or in the case of 'Symphonie Concertante' by the entire class of D girls.

These were all introduced by members of the faculty – Kay Mazzo, Suki Schorer, Susan Pillare, Arch Higgins and Jock Soto.  Ms. Pillare seemed particularly intent on pushing for a revival of ‘Symphonie Concertante’ – perhaps on the SAB workshops program.

The program concluded with two couples each performing the entire Sugarplum pas de deux from Balanchine's 'Nutcracker' -- including the solo variations.  To say that all of these performances were exceptional is an understatement -- but it will do.

SAB's Capstone Program for Advanced Students

The School of American Ballet started a program last year for advanced students who are probably in their final year at the school.  They are identified as 'Capstone' students.  While all of them probably yearn for an apprenticeship with New York City Ballet there are a limited number of opportunities there each year -- dictated by retirements, injuries, but most of all by budget constraints.

The program which was started last year prepares these students to take the next steps in their lives.  Just before the holiday break posters created in group research projects by Capstone students were posted in the main hall of the School.  They covered companies that will be auditioning dancers at the School this winter -- Los Angeles Ballet, the National Ballet of Canada, the Joffrey Ballet, Miami City Ballet, Washington Ballet and one or two other companies -- highlighting interesting things about their cities, their repertory, their SAB alumni, their directors (sometimes also SAB alumni), their performance schedules -- whatever these teenagers think their fellow students should know before their auditions during the winter.

These youngsters have received wonderful ballet training at SAB.  Now they're also preparing for the next step -- whether it's into coveted apprenticeships at NYC Ballet, into the wider world of dance or on to some other option.  Take a look at the impressive list of professional dance opportunities that the School's alumni have taken in the last five years here:

https://sab.org/winterterm/career_planning/recent_professional_employmentp.php 

Nutcracker Debuts:

On the NYC Ballet facebook page, they announced a record number of twelve debuts in the performance of 'George Balanchine's The Nutcracker' on Sunday, December 28th:

https://www.facebook.com/nycballet/photos/a.194499540528.254487.112319735528/10155004814490529/?type=1&theater

Brian Siebert wrote about some of them in the 1/2/2015 NY Times.

The long run of 'The Nutcracker' and the large number of featured roles gives the company an opportunity to showcase promising  members of the corps -- only one of the dozen is a soloist.

Kennedy Center Honors Segment on Pat McBride: 

On December 30th, CBS aired the 2014 The Kennedy Center Honors.  One of the honorees this year was Patricia McBride, a favorite NYC Ballet ballerina who danced with the company from 1959 to 1989 -- 28 years as a principal.  Among the roles George Balanchine created roles for her are 'Jewels' (Rubies); 'Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet' (2nd movement); 'Who Cares?' (The Man I Love & Fascinatin' Rhythm); 'Harlequinade' (Columbine); 'Divertimento from Le Baiser de la Fee'; and 'Coppelia'.  Jerome Robbins memorably cast her in 'Dances at a Gathering' (girl in pink); 'In the Night'; 'Goldberg Variations'; 'The Four Seasons' (Fall); and others.  Among her partners were Edward Villella, Helgi Tomasson, Mikhail Baryshnikov and Peter Martins.

After leaving NYC Ballet, McBride and her husband, Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, have become artistic directors of the Charlotte Ballet & School and the Chautauqua Institute School of Dance (summer program).  

The segment saluting McBride in the Honors program was produced by Damian Woetzel, another well-known former NYCB principal dancer, who is Artistic Director of the Vail International Dance Festival, among many other roles.

Christine Baranski introducing the Patricia McBride segment of the Kennedy Center Honors.

Christine Baranski, a star of the CBS show 'The Good Wife' introduced the biographical film on McBride with eloquence and class.  Following the film, Tiler Peck (NYCB principal) danced 'Fascinatin' Rhythm' from 'Who Cares?'; Lauren Lovette (NYCB soloist) and Jeffrey Cirio (Boston Ballet principal) danced part of the 'Rubies' pas de deux; Misty Copeland (ABT soloist) danced a variation from Balanchine's 'Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux'; Tiler Peck and Jared Angle (NYCB principals) danced a pas de deux from 'Dances at a Gathering'; and Alessandra James, Anna Gerberich, Sarah Hayes Harkins, and Pete Walker (Charlotte Ballet dancers) led off 'I Got Rhythm', the finale from 'Who Cares?' with all of the other dancers joining in for the ending.

Misty Copeland (ABT), Alessandra James (Charlotte Ballet), Jeffrey Cirio (Boston Ballet), Pete Walker (Charlotte Ballet), Anna Gerberich (Charlotte Ballet), Tiler Peck (NYCB), Sarah Hayes Harkins (Charlotte Ballet), Jared Angle (NYCB), and Lauren Lovette (NYCB) backstage at Kennedy Center Opera House.  Photo from Jeffrey Cirio

Tiler was in Broadway babe mode for 'Who Cares?' -- a little too much pizzazz for me, but probably just right for the CBS audience.  

Lauren Lovette and Jeffrey Cirio in the pas de deux from 'Rubies'.

Lauren and Jeffrey looked great together and danced with supreme assurance in the snippet from 'Rubies'.  Misty danced with confidence and style in the female variation from the Tschaikovsky pdd.  Jared and Tiler were wonderful in the Robbins snippet.  The four dancers from Charlotte looked grand in 'Who Cares?' which provided a great finale for the McBride segment.

Now, if the Kennedy Center Honors/CBS producers and editors could just have been induced to film this segment with fewer close-ups, less chopping off of feet, and without cutting away to the First Lady looking bored, it would have been a totally splendid tribute to a truly great American prima ballerina.

Among the audience 'reaction' shots we spotted Heather Watts and Damian Woetzel and Lauren Lovette's swain, Chase Finlay (NYCB principal).  And here's a glamorous shot of Ms. Lovette in the Kennedy Center lobby before or after the show.

Lauren Lovette in the lobby of the Kennedy Center in Washington for the Kennedy Center Honors.

Look for a longer post about Patricia McBride's outstanding career at New York City Ballet coming soon.

New Role at SAB for Jon Stafford  

I just learned that in addition to his post-performing career as a ballet master at NYC Ballet and a faculty member at the School of American Ballet, Jon Stafford will be advising SAB's 'capstone' students (see above) on their professional careers.  Not only is Jon a recent (and relatively young) retiree from the company and a trusted SAB teacher, but he also has wide connections with dancers and directors throughout the dance world which can help the 'capstoners' in making smart career moves.

Apprentices Going from SAB to NYC Ballet 

At least three School of American Ballet apprentices --  Jacqueline Bologna, Laine Habony and Mimi Staker -- have been given contracts with New York City Ballet following the completion of 'The Nutcracker' season on January 3rd.  And another student -- Miriam Miller -- was named an apprentice by Peter Martins just before the start of the company's Winter Season on January 20th.

December 6th Matinee of The Nutcracker at NYC Ballet

Poster for this year's 60th Anniversary of 'George Balanchine's The Nutcracker'.

This is the 60th anniversary of 'George Balanchine's The Nutcracker' which was first produced in February, 1954.  Maria Tallchief and Nicholas Magallanes were the Sugarplum and her Cavalier and Tanaquil Le Clercq was the Dewdrop.  Michael Arshansky played Herr Drosselmeier.

The end of the Party Scene in the 1954 production with Michael Arshansky, Paul Nickel and Roberta Grant.
Photo by Frederick Melton from the Dance Division of the NY Public Library for the Performing Arts

Every year as part of our holiday season we take our nephew and his wife and daughter to see 'George Balanchine's The Nutcracker' performed by New York City Ballet.  Because it is always sold out, to get decent seats we order the tickets in mid-summer.  So you always get luck-of-the-draw on casting.

SATURDAY MATINEE, DECEMBER 6, 2:00 PM
(Conductor: Otranto)
SUGARPLUM: Pereira; CAVALIER: De Luz; DEWDROP: Reichlen; HERR DROSSELMEIER: Suozzi;
MARZIPAN: Dronova; HOT CHOCOLATE: Muller, Scordato; COFFEE: Mann; TEA: *Bachman; CANDY CANE: Ball;
MOTHER GINGER: Thew; FLOWERS: King, Laracey; DOLLS: Villwock, Adams; SOLDIER: Hoxha;
MOUSE KING: Sanz; DR & FRAU STAHLBAUM: Arthurs, Catazaro

On paper this was not a cast that I was thrilled with, but in the theater they were remarkably good.

In general, the lighting cues sometimes seemed to be out of sync with the Tschaikovsky music emanating from the pit and the pace of the production on stage.  Clotilde Otranto conducted at a brisk pace throughout, keeping the ballet moving forward, but sacrificing nuance for impetus.

In the first act, the School of American Ballet students in the party scene seemed a bit stiff and lacking in spontaneity -- although Sawyer Reo as Fritz, the naughty little brother was outstanding.  I don't believe I've ever been so aware that the motivation for his outbursts is that his older sister Marie is getting all of the presents and attention.  By the way, Marie's party dress has turned a nasty shade of slush grey and needs to be renewed or replaced.  Zachary Catazaro as Dr. Stahlbaum, the host, seemed too flamboyant, but Faye Arthurs as Frau Stahlbaum looked gorgeous and played the concerned mother and hostess perfectly.  Sean Suozzi's Herr Drosselmeier didn't have enough eccentricity or mystery or flamboyance to carry him convincingly into the vital transition scene between the party and the battle of the mice.

Balanchine's snow scene is so exquisitely designed that even indifferent dancing can never bring it down.  Here the dancing by the 16 snowflakes was brilliant -- etching Balanchine's patterns with crystalline perfection.  Bravo, women of the corps (including the four SAB apprentices)!

The final moments of the Act I Snow Scene as the Little Prince and Princess walk among the Snowflakes.
Photo by Paul Kolnik for NYC Ballet

Act II opens with 12 of the youngest SAB students as tiny Angels. Balanchine understood how to give children steps and patterns that were effective on stage, but not too difficult to learn and perform.  Here the little girls floated across the stage in skimming steps that looked effortless.  Even the tricky criss-crossing diagonals didn't phase them -- they stayed in line and in motion without any hesitations or collisions.

Students from the School of American Ballets as Angels in 'George Balanchine's The Nutcracker'.
Photo by Paul Kolnik for NYC Ballet

Erica Pereira's solo as the Sugarplum was well danced, but she lacks empathy with her adoring 'court' of little angels -- the eye contact and flirtatious interactions that the best Sugarplums create with them was missing.

Philip Henry Duclos as the Little Prince didn't quite pull together the mimed passage recounting the battle with the mice to get the audience ovation that it often receives.

Hot Chocolate, lead by Gwyneth Muller and Andrew Scordato, seemed merely proficient, without the flash and panache that this Spanish-flavored divertissement should have.  Meagan Mann had the right sensuality for Coffee and used the music's pulse effectively.

A highlight of the divertissements was Austin Bachman's debut in Tea.  His split jumps were astonishing and rightly cheered by the audience.  Harrison Ball lead the Candy Canes with a sense of confidence and brio, but missed the mischievous quality that can make this part especially appealing.

Alina Dronova as the lead Marzipan Shepherdess is a proficient dancer, but almost totally devoid of stage presence.  Fortunately, my eyes kept straying to Megan Johnson and Sara Adams who looked especially lovely in her backup shepherdess quartet.

Joshua Thew nicely underplayed the role of Mother Ginger and didn't distract from the dancing of the eight little Polichinelles that emerge from her giant hoop skirt.  I'm sure that their parents appreciated him ceding the spotlight to their little darlings.

The Waltz of the Flowers is the other Balanchine choreographic masterpiece in 'The Nutcracker'.  With Teresa Reichlen's sparkling Dewdrop, Lauren King and Ashley Laracey as the graceful demi-soloists, and a lovely bouquet of twelve corps flowers it was danced with clarity and musicality.  Reichlen has the technical prowess and stamina for the Dewdrop.  More importantly, she imbues it with daring musical freedom -- sustaining balances, curling through pirouettes, challenging the boundaries of time and space with exploding leaps and grand jetes. 

Teresa Reichlen as Dewdrop with corps in Waltz of the Flowers.  Photo by Andrea Mohin for NYTimes

In the grand pas de deux for the Sugarplum and her Cavalier, Erica Pereira was joined by Joaquin De Luz.  Erica is a wonderful partner for Joaquin (who has temporarily lost his regular Sugarplum, Megan Fairchild, to the Broadway revival of 'On the Town').  Erica is slender and petite with a dark beauty that complements Joaquin's short stature and fiery Latin demeanor.

They carried off the difficult adagio with assurance -- missing the timing on the second multiple supported pirouette into backbend, but doing a beautiful arabesque and balance on the slide across the back of the stage and ending with a lovely promenade into Erica's unsupported balance followed by a spectacular fishdive.  Joaquin's performed his variation with extraordinary precision and panache.  Erica's circle of pique turns into Joaquin's waiting arms showed finesse, daring and exquisite timing.

The final coda, which brings all of the characters from the Act II 'Land of the Sweets' back for brief reprises, is always lots of fun.  It gives the Dewdrop one last chance to show off a beautiful series of pirouettes into arabesque and the Sugarplum and her Cavalier a few more bravura lifts before the Little Prince and Princess are sent flying off in a sleigh pulled by reindeer.

The Little Prince & Princess depart in the sleigh in the final scene of George Balanchine's The Nutcracker.

Since we used to see 'The Nutcracker' twice each season, we've probably seen this production at least 75 times since 1967.  With Tschaikovsky's lovely music, Balanchine's indelible choreography, and casts of dancers at every stage of development -- from beginning students to seasoned principals -- it is always a wonderful holiday treat.   

Ballet Odds & Ends . . .

I just wanted to share a few bits about ballet that have recently come to my attention.

Wendy Whelan's farewell evening in her own words:

Here's a slide show of photos by Henry Leutwyler from Wendy Whelan's farewell evening on October 18th along with Wendy's comments on each:

http://www.vulture.com/2014/10/wendy-whelan-last-performance.html?mid=facebook_nymag#photo=1x00012

I was really impressed with the range and depth of her thoughts on her retirement from New York City Ballet.

Wendy Whelan's shoes for her final performance.  Photo by Henry Leutwyler

Second Season of city.ballet on AOL:

The second season of city.ballet is now up on AOL at:  

http://on.aol.com/show/517887470-city-ballet/518489161

There are 12 segments, each from 5 to 9 minutes long, covering various aspects of New York City Ballet.  The clips were taken during the company's preparation for the Fall Season that ended October 19th.  They feature several dancers and cover their lives both within the company and in the outside world.  Each segment is a small gem that can enhance viewer's understanding of what it's really like to be one of the exotic creatures that we see on stage a few times each year.  Gee, they're not so different from the rest of us!

city.ballet 'logo' from AOL

SAB Workshop on PBS 'Live from Lincoln Center:

PBS has announced that it will broadcast the School of American Ballet's June Workshop Performance on Friday, December 12th, at 9:00pm (hardly live, but certainly worth the wait).  The all-Balanchine program includes 'Serenade' (to Tschaikovsky's 'Serenade for Strings in C'); excerpts from Act II of 'Coppelia'; 'Swan Lake' (Balanchine's 1-act version); and the fourth movement of 'Western Symphony' (to Hershey Kay's music based on American folk themes).  You may recall my post about this program which you can read here:


http://zylopho.blogspot.com/2014_04_01_archive.html

There's a short PBS 'tease' clip of the students in 'Serenade' here:

http://video.pbs.org/video/2365363809/

You'll recall that I wrote about the workshop performances in my posting here:

http://zylopho.blogspot.com/2014/06/school-of-american-ballet-workshop.html 

By the way that's my most popular post so far -- thanks for your support.

Addie Tapp (now a Boston Ballet corps member) and Preston Chamblee (now an apprentice at NYC Ballet)
performing George Balanchine's 'Serenade' in the School of American Ballet Workshop last June.
Photo is a still from PBS Live from Lincoln Center broadcast to be aired on 12/12/14 at 9pm.

'Ballet 422' coming to movie theaters near you:

The documentary movie 'Ballet 422', which was well-received at film festivals this fall will be opening in movie theaters in February, 6, 2015.  It provides a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of New York City Ballet's 422nd original ballet -- Justin Peck's 'Paz de la Jolla'.  You can see the movie's trailer here:

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1484789521803444&set=vb.1400931226855941&type=2&theater

Look for movie theaters near you displaying this poster.

Nutcracker couples rehearse:

Finally, around the Rose Building (where both the School of American Ballet and NYC Ballet have their studios) we're starting to see George Balanchine's 'The Nutcracker' taking shape for its annual season (this year from November 28th thru January 3rd).  Ballet master Albert Evans was rehearsing with Teresa Reichlen (Sugarplum) and Ask la Cour (Cavalier) on Tuesday afternoon.  On Thursday afternoon Ashley Bouder and Joaquin De Luz were rehearsing the grand pas de deux before a studio doorway packed with rapt students plus the School's Executive Director, Marjorie Van Dercook, and me.  And many of the younger students are busy rehearsing to be guests in the Party Scene, Mice, Angels, and Candy Canes.  And the older students are learning the Dewdrop and Sugarplum variations and the grand pas de deux from the wonderful faculty -- many of whom have danced those roles themselves.

Teresa Reichlen as the Dewdrop in George Balanchine's 'The Nutcracker'.  Photo by Andrea Mohin for NYTimes