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.

  

    

And Still More Ballet Quibbles and Bits . . .

'Swan Lake' Follow-up:

New York City Ballet just published two very brief clips of Teresa Reichlen and Russell Janzen dancing in Peter Martins' 'Swan Lake'.
  

Teresa Reichlen in the first lakeside scene in Peter Martins' 'Swan Lake'.  Photo by Paul Kolnik for NYC Ballet

The first is from the lakeside pas de deux and shows the couple's long lyrical lines which I wrote about after seeing them dance together at the September 22nd dress rehearsal:

https://www.facebook.com/nycballet/videos/10156127522740529/

The second shows Reichlen's incredible series of fouettes in the ballroom pas de deux.

https://www.facebook.com/nycballet/videos/10156127554185529/

Tess and Russell will probably become the company's hot new couple.

Another NYCB Apprentice:

Alston Macgill has just been named an apprentice by New York City Ballet.  Alston performed the role of Odette in Balanchine's one-act 'Swan Lake' at the 2014 SAB Workshops and danced Bournonville's 'William Tell' pas de deux at the 2015 SAB Workshops.  She comes from Savannah, GA, and just turned 18 in September.  What a smashing birthday present for Alston!

The 'Looks' from NYCB Fall Fashion Gala as seen in Elle and New York Magazine's 'The Cut':

Here's a link to 44 pictures of the costumes designed by five fashion designers for New York City Ballet's Fall Gala:

http://l.facebook.com/l/GAQGfv6sY/www.elle.com/culture/art-design/news/g27044/backstage-at-the-new-york-city-ballet-gala-fall-2015/

And here's a link to New York Magazine's 'The Cut' with more photos of the Fall Gala costumes:

http://nymag.com/thecut/2015/09/fashion-takes-center-stage-at-the-nycb-gala/slideshow/2015/09/30/new_york_city_balletgala/

Of course, for 'The Cut' the costumes and who designed them are more important than the dancers who are wearing them (typical of the style-obsessed media I suppose).  

Rebecca Krohn with Amar Ramassar, Ask la Cour and Robert Fairchild in Peter Martins' 'Thou Swell' in cosutmes by Peter Topping of Oscar de la Renta.
Photo by Paul Kolnik for NYC Ballet

Fortunately, we'll never have to see the costumes for Peter Martins' 'Thou Swell' again -- a one-time-only showing of luxuriously vulgar designs by Peter Topping of Oscar de la Renta.

Ballerinas on Broadway:

On Monday, October 5th, we attended a NYC Ballet seminar entitled 'Ballerinas on Broadway'.  Joan Quatrano moderated a panel of three ballerinas associated with the Broadway musical revival of 'On the Town':  Megan Fairchild, Sara Mearns, and Georgina Pazcoguin.  Megan originated the role of Ivy Smith (Miss Turnstiles) and played her for about 10 months.  Sara Mearns' boyfriend, Joshua Bergasse, is the choreographer of the show and Sara performed a 'dream ballet' once during the show's run.  Last summer Gina became a member of the show's ensemble and the understudy for Miss Turnstiles and then danced the role for two weeks after Megan left the show and before Misty Copeland came in for the end of the show's run in early September.

Megan Fairchild as Miss Turnstiles with ensemble in the revival of 'On the Town'.  Photo from Time Out NY

The seminar audience heard a lot of useless information  about 'putting on a show' including definitions of colorful Broadway terms.  They also heard quite a bit about the contrasts between Broadway and NYC Ballet.  Most of this came from Megan, who is a real chatterbox.  Most of Sara's comments concerned background about Josh's choreographic process, while Gina seemed content to talk about her experiences in the show when she was asked.

For me, the most interesting part of the discussion was not about 'On the Town' and Broadway, but about how the NYC Ballet is embracing new media and encouraging its dancers to engage with the public using Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms.  Sara has an Instagram feed and Megan has a webpage and posts podcasts.  Sara said that she wanted to connect with future generations of dancers in a medium that they utilize and understand.

SAB's 2014 Workshop Performances Back on PBS:

This past August Live from Lincoln Center rebroadcast the School of American Ballet's 2014 Workshop Performance -- first broadcast on PBS in December, 2014.  Unfortunately, the show had been edited from 90 minutes down to 60 minutes for the rebroadcast, which left much of the rehearsal and interview material from the original show on the cutting room floor.  It was still fun to watch the dance portion of the 50th anniversary Workshop Performance once again -- and marvel at the payoff on many years of arduous training.   Several of these students have gone on to dance professionally in companies across the globe.

NYC Ballet 'Swan Lake' Dress Rehearsal

On Tuesday afternoon, September 22nd, I attended the 'dress' rehearsal for Peter Martins' 'Swan Lake' which was opening later that evening.  The idea that it was a 'dress' rehearsal seemed pretty casual -- most of the corps dancers were in practice clothes, except the men wore their garish orange boots.  Even the principals weren't in pristine costume -- Prince Siegfried wore grey sweatpants over his costume through much of the first scene and Odette wore footless tights.

The 'orchestra' consisted of a piano in the pit 'conducted' by Stuart Capps and a violinist who showed up in time for the solo violin passage in the lakeside scene.

Still, it was an opportunity to see a brand new Siegfried, Russell Janzen, perfectly paired with a lovely Odette, Teresa Reichlen.  They are both tall, slender dancers with long arms and legs.  The pas de deux in the first lakeside scene was notable for their long, beautifully coordinated lines and for Russell's partnering of Tess with steady calm.  Surrounded by a corps of swans in drab and raggedy practice clothes Tess and Russell indeed stood out.   

Teresa Reichlen and Russell Janzen in the pas de deux from George Balanchine's 'Diamonds' from 'Jewels'.
Photo by Paul Kolnik for NYC Ballet

At this rehearsal, Taylor Stanley in the role of Benno danced the pas de trois with Indiana Woodward and Sarah Villwock.  Ms. Woodward and Ms. Villwock are new to their roles and there were still a few kinks in the pas de trois to be ironed out later in a rehearsal studio.  Harrison Ball danced the Jester -- a role I dislike and find hard to judge objectively.  It's showy and requires a bravura dancer.  Harrison seemed to be having an off day.  Gwyneth Muller was regal as the Queen, although she or a page or lady-in-waiting need to mind her train which was doubled back on itself here.  The children from the School of American Ballet were well-drilled and adorable -- although they were still getting used to the Theater's stage and the adult dancers surrounding them.

In the lakeside scene, the four cygnets -- including Claire Von Eyck at one end of the chain -- were brilliant.  Silas Farley waved Von Rotbart's flaming orange cape with panache.  Although the role of Rotbart was created by Albert Evans, I see no reason to continue casting minorities -- Silas and Preston Chamblee in the current run -- in this role.  It's way past time for New York City Ballet to introduce color blind casting in all of its works and move beyond this type of tokenism -- it's racist and appalling.

This cast will  be dancing Thursday evening, September 24th -- when Russell will make his debut as Siegried -- and again at the Sunday, September 27th, matinee.

Following the rehearsal of the first half -- I'm never sure if it is two scenes and one act or two acts with no intermission -- of 'Swan Lake' there was a rehearsal of the pas de quatre from the ballroom scene with Megan Fairchild, Ana Sophia Scheller, Tiler Peck and Joaquin De Luz.  This stellar cast did a partially danced walk-thru of this so-so piece of Martins' choreography.  I assume that they've danced this enough times that they were saving themselves for the performance that evening.  It was a rather lackluster finish to a spotty afternoon.

On a different note, Jared Angle was listed in the handout as one of the 'rehearsal masters' and was on stage offering pointers to Reichlen and Janzen about their performance.  Does this portend a transition from principal dancer to artistic staff in Jared's future?  If so, the NYCB website hasn't caught up with the news.  We'd hate to see Jared stop performing, but he's a great addition to the artistic staff with a wealth of experience dancing a wide range of roles.

NYC Ballet's (Mis)Adventures with Bournonville: Part One, 'Bournonville Divertissements'

Before we saw the all-Bournonville program at NYC Ballet on Sunday, May 24th, I had attended a dress rehearsal of 'La Sylphide' on May 5th and together we went to the NYCB Seminar on " Peter Martins' 'La Sylphide' and the Bournonville Style" on May 18th.  This is the first of four posts about these events.

August Bournonville (1805 to 1879) was a Danish dancer, ballet master and choreographer who studied ballet in Denmark and later in Paris, then danced briefly with the Paris Opera Ballet before returning to Copenhagen where he was a principal dancer and ballet master at the Royal Theater.  For over 45 years he shaped the Danish ballet tradition.  Several of the full-evening works he created for the Royal Danish Ballet remain in their active repertory including 'La Sylphide', 'Napoli', and 'Flower Festival in Genzano'.  In addition, there are lots of surviving excerpts from other ballets that he choreographed for the RBD.

Bournonville traveled extensively and brought back folk dances and settings from many regions he visited and included them in his works for the Royal Danish Ballet.

Bournonville Divertissements:
SUNDAY MATINEE, MAY 24, 3:00 PM [Conductor: Capps]
BOURNONVILLE DIVERTISSEMENTS: Pereira, Peiffer, Reichlen Mearns, T. Angle, Adams, Pollack, Mann, Isaacs, Janzen, Scordato, Gordon

George Balanchine was a guest ballet master at the Royal Danish Ballet for a brief period in 1929 and greatly admired the Danish style.  In 1964 Balanchine invited Stanley Williams, the great Danish ballet dancer and teacher, to teach at the School of American Ballet.  He was a revered member of the SAB faculty until his death in 1997.  In 1977, Balanchine asked Williams to stage several excerpts from Bournonville's ballets for New York City Ballet and the result became 'Bournonville Divertissements'.  

'Bournonville Divertissements' has been out of the Company's repertory for many years.  It was restaged for this all-Bournonville program by Nilas Martins, Peter Martins' son.  Nilas studied at the school of the Royal Danish Ballet and at SAB before joining NYCB, where he rose to principal dancer, retiring in 2010.  Since 2013 Nilas and his wife, former NYCB principal and ABT soloist Monique Meunier, have been co-directors of the Academy of Nevada Ballet Theater in Las Vegas.  

The costumes (by Ben Benson) and sets (by Alain Vaes and David Mitchell) for the revival are from the original 1977 production.  The current production omitted the pas de deux from 'The Kermesse in Bruges' and the pas de trois from 'La Ventana' that were part of Williams' original staging.

Airborne corps of 'Ballabile' from 'Napoli, Act I' by Bournonville.  Photo by Paul Kolnik for NYC Ballet

The divertissements begin with the 'Ballabile' from Act I of Bournonville's 'Napoli' (1842) set in a fishing community on the Bay of Naples.  (We saw the Royal Danish Ballet perform the entire three-act work a few years ago at the Kennedy Center in Washington.)   With Erica Pereira and Allen Peiffer plus a corps of 12, it introduces the light, airy Bournonville style danced here to music by Simon Paulli.  The (very unattractive) costumes are similar to the costumes from the RDB's current production including 'pedal pushers' and shorts over bare legs for the men and 'do rags' for the corps women.

Erica Periera and Allen Peiffer in the 'Ballabile' from Bournonville's 'Napoli'.  
Photo by Paul Kolnik for NYC Ballet

The pas de deux from 'Flower Festival in Genzano' (1858) to music of Edvard Helsted followed.  It was beautifully danced by Teresa Reichlen (replacing Sara Mearns) and Tyler Angle.  They nicely captured the flirtatious interactions of Bournonville's choreography and the crisp lightness of the Danish style.  I had glimpsed Tess rehearsing this piece with Ask la Cour in an SAB studio and was pleased to see her in the finished product at this performance.

Teresa Reichlen in the pas de deux from 'Flower Festival in Genzano'.  Photo by Paul Kolnik for NYC Ballet

Tyler Angle in 'Flower Festival in Genzano' pas de deux from 'Bournonville Divertissements'.
Photo by Paul Kolnik for NYC Ballet

Next came a pas de six with an amalgam of dances from Bournonville's 'Napoli, Act III' with music by Paulli and 'Abdallah' (1855) with music by Helsted.  The seven dancers were Sara Adams, Ashly Isaacs, Meagan Mann, Brittany Pollack, Russell Janzen, Andrew Scordato and Joseph Gordon.  They dance beautifully in solos, duos, trios, etc.  Ms. Pollack, Mr. Scordato and Mr. Janzen looked especially elegant dancing in the Danish style, which requires both precision and naturalness.

The pas de six segued into the 'Tarantella' from 'Napoli, Act III' danced by the entire cast with several additional corps dancers thrown in for good measure.  It went on ad infinitum, ad nauseam.  Surely, these divertissements are more than enough of the Bournonville style for one program.  And personally, I would cut the entire tarantella and replace it with the pas de deux from 'Kermesse in Bruges' -- which I remember fondly from the 1977 production danced by Patricia McBride and Helgi Tomasson.

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.   

New York City Ballet -- Sunday, October 19, 2014

How disheartening to walk home from the performance by New York City Ballet last Sunday afternoon!  We had just seen four works by Balanchine choreographed to the music of Tschaikovsky -- Balanchine's company performing four works to the music of one of his favorite composers.   And yet, the fall season had just ended for us with a dull thud.  

SUNDAY MATINEE, OCTOBER 19, 3:00 PM
[Conductor: Capps]
SERENADE: Mearns, Lowery, Reichlen, J. Angle, Danchig-Waring
MOZARTIANA: Kowroski, T. Angle, Huxley
pause
TSCHAIKOVSKY PAS DE DEUX: Bouder, Garcia
TSCHAIKOVSKY SUITE NO. 3: ELEGIE: Krohn, la Cour; WALTZ: A. Stafford, J. Peck;
SCHERZO: Pazcoguin, Schumacher; THEME & VARIATIONS: Hyltin, Veyette

Sure, the company had celebrated the retirement of an iconic ballerina (Wendy Whelan) after a storied 30-year career with the company the night before.  Sure, they were just finishing a season packed with premieres of four new works.  Sure, three of its principals have gone on sabbatical to perform in Broadway shows.  Sure, the company's ranks have been depleted by illness and injury. Sure, sure, sure there are excuses to be made for this bloated, dull performance.

The most egregious reason for this lackluster performance, is the continuing erosion of the standards of the orchestra.  It is now nearly three years since the former music director, Faycal Karoui, announced his decision to leave the company.  Since his departure in the Spring of 2012, the company has not succeeded in securing a competent replacement and has struggled along with an inadequate 'interim music director',  two associate conductors of good-to-indifferent quality, and a collection of so-so guest conductors who may have been auditioning for the music directorship.

The failure of Peter Martins and the Board of Directors to find and engage a music director of the stature of Andrea Quinn and Faycal Karoui for the house of Balanchine is a disgrace.  Having allowed the orchestra to deteriorate in the years prior to Maestra Quinn's arrival in 2001, one would think that management had already learned the lesson that inadequate attention to the pit can have a disastrous impact on the artistic merit of what is presented on stage.

It is interesting to note that three of the four new works this season were performed to solo piano music or small chamber ensembles.  Are the choreographers choosing not to entrust their new pieces to an interim music director and his deficient orchestra?

Instead of just complaining about the lousy music making, let me propose a long-term solution.  Together, New York City Ballet, the Julliard School and Career Transitions for Dancers should establish a joint fellowship/apprenticeship program that identifies dancers reaching the end of their stage careers who have the interest and aptitude to become conductors -- specifically ballet conductors.  Julliard provides formal training and mentorship in music and conducting; City Ballet, the Julliard Dance Division and the School of American Ballet provide apprentice conducting opportunities; individuals who understand ballet from the perspective of dancers gain the technical skills to become ballet conductors and music directors; meaningful career transitions for dancers are facilitated; and the pool of qualified candidates for music director is expanded. 

On Sunday, the orchestra's playing under Daniel Capps wasn't awful, merely indifferent, rote and plodding.

NYC Ballet corps in the opening image of the Balanchine/Tschaikovsky 'Serenade'.
Photo by Paul Kolnik for NYC Ballet

In 'Serenade' to Tschaikovsky's 'Serenade in C for Strings' it seemed that the dancers were given no incentive to listen to the music and respond to it.  When dancers of the stature of Sara Mearns, Teresa Reichlen and Jared Angle appear lethargic and unmotivated something is quite wrong.  Reichlen's 'dark angel' barely completed the manipulated rotations in arabesque above Mearns and left out the final stretched arabesque pose that usually makes this moment so striking.  Adrian Danchig-Waring flubbed a lift with Reichlen.  The final tableau with Mearns carried by the four men looked perilously shakey. 

The closing image of the Balanchine/Tschaikovsky 'Mozartiana' with Tyler Angle, Maria Kowroski and 
Daniel Ulbricht.  Photo by Paul Kolnik for NYC Ballet

Balanchine created 'Mozartiana' in 1981 for Suzanne Farrell, Ib Anderson and Christopher d'Amboise -- to Tschaikovsky's 'Suite No. 4', his arrangement and orchestration of four short works by Mozart.  Balanchine had used the music before -- first for Les Ballets 1933 and then in 1945 for the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo.

Maria Kowroski looked calm and poised in the opening 'Preghiera' which Balanchine stages as a kind of prayer.  Unfortunately, the four young students from the School of American Ballet looked ragged and undone by the lack of musical pulse coming from the pit.  The elegant Anthony Huxley, new in the 'Gigue' this season, gave a surprisingly uninspired performance.  The four tall women (Marika Anderson, Megan Johnson, Emily Kikta, Gwyneth Muller) looked gorgeous in the 'Menuet' but the pit undermined their precision.    Tyler Angle joined Kowroski for the 'Theme et Variations'.  They danced beautifully despite the orchestra's failure to adequately differentiate one variation from another.

Ashley Bouder and Gonzalo Garcia in Balanchine's 'Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux'
Photo from (Albany) Daily Gazette

Ashley Bouder and Gonzalo Garcia brought the requisite dazzle to Balanchine's 'Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux'.  They looked great together.  Gonzalo turns the opposite direction from most male principals in the variations, which is a little disconcerting, but doesn't detract from the clarity of his execution.  Bouder's bravura was on full display -- without the smugness that can often undermine her performances.

Corps and demi-soloists in 'Tema con Variazioni' from Balanchine's 'Tschaikovsky Suite No. 3'.
Photo by Paul Kolnik for NYC Ballet

In 1970 Balanchine created 'Tschaikovsky Suite No. 3' by choreographing the first three movements of the Tschaikovsky suite and tacking them onto the front of 'Theme and Variations' -- a ballet he had created for American Ballet Theatre in 1947 using the final movement from the suite, 'Tema con Variazione'.  The first three sections take place behind a scrim in a hazy, dimly lit, 'ghost' ballroom. The women are in long flowing gowns in shades of lavender with unbound hair and the men are in loose silk trousers with ruffled shirts.  

The opening 'Elegie' was lead by Ask la Cour and Rebecca Krohn.  Ms. Krohn seems uncomfortably miscast as the passionate, romantic 'ideal' woman to Mr. la Cour searching dreamer.  Abi Stafford and Justin Peck could not do much with the lackluster Balanchine choreography for 'Valse Melancolique'.  Georgina Pazcoguin and Troy Schumacher took the spins and leaps of the 'Scherzo' with dare devil speed.  Their final jetes into opposite wings lead to a blackout accompanied by the raising of the scrim (which coupled with the dim lighting always seems like an annoyance by this point in the work).

When the lights blaze on for the 'Tema con Variazioni', we are in a magnificent ballroom with Sterling Hyltin, Andrew Veyette, the four demi-soloist women, and eight corps women symmetrically arrayed in glittering costumes of white, gold and turquoise.  The two principals state the theme, followed by the women.  Variations follow, alternating between the ballerina and her cavalier with support from the demi and corps women.  Unfortunately, Hyltin does not have the technique and strength for this demanding role.  Her footwork and beats are blurred and indistinct and her energy flags noticeably.

The polonaise and finale for the full 26-member cast are always glorious and uplifting.  But they couldn't erase the memories of inadequacies earlier in the performance.  Perhaps an all-Balanchine/Tschaikovsky program looks better on paper than the reality -- nearly three hours in their company with inadequate musicianship and spotty casting.  Perhaps the season should just have ended with Wendy Whelan's farewell performance instead.