Blog Page - Haglund's Heel

observations 6/20

June 20, 2025 8 Comments

Haglund didn’t attend ABT's Woolf Works this week. He’s not much of a fan of either Virginia Woolf or Wayne McGregor; so there wasn’t much point in suffering through the work again. Virginia Woolf once publicly referred to James Joyce’s literary masterpiece Ulysses as pretentious, underbred, and inferior after which she went on to try to copy his stream of consciousness style in her own work Mrs. Dalloway three years later.

Over his lifetime Joyce was described as a musical writer whose language danced. His daughter, Lucia, was an accomplished modern dancer who was admired by many including WB Yeats who once considered hiring her to perform in Plays for Dancers by the Abbey Theatre School of Ballet which he co-founded with Ninette de Valois. That company was short-lived, but Yeats continued to write and de Valois, thankfully, found other meaningful things to do.

Lucia was also admired by playwright Samuel Beckett who kept a favorite photo of her in her silver fish scales costume. We retrieved that photo by Berenice Abbott/Getty from a fascinating 2018 Irish Times article about Lucia by Deirdre Mulrooney.

This could be from L'après-midi du poisson.

James Joyce loved dance and loved to dance on a whim — sometimes sober, sometimes not. His characters danced throughout his literary works with rhyme, reason, allusion, puns, and streams of consciousness that turned their ordinary lives into extraordinary literature. From A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man:

"His heart danced upon her movements like a cork upon a tide. He heard what her eyes said to him from beneath their cowl and knew that in some dim past, whether in life or revery, he had heard their tale before."

Simply put, Act II of Giselle.

Here we go into the best week of the season . . .

ABT Swan Lake 6/11 mat, 6/14 mat & eve
Holy Hiss & Spit!

June 15, 2025 16 Comments

Those ABT Odiles are a bunch of sharp-elbowed bitches, ain't they? We’ll get to them, but it’s more important to first highlight the initial revelation of the season — one that we have been anticipating for a few years.

Last evening Bearcat Michael de la Nuez, a sixth-year corpsman, debuted as Prince Siegfried opposite the company’s adored Swan Lake senior specialist, Gillian Murphy. The profound depth of his characterization came as a shock; we had only expected great dancing.

When he first appeared at the top of the staircase to tumultuous cheers, it was difficult to tell who was more excited: this new, handsome Siegfried or the peasants below who were thrilled to see one of their own rise to royalty. This was going to be a group effort to make sure that Siegfried stayed the course and soared far above his exospheric leaps. No, there was never a need for the equivalent of the theatrical “Line, please.” But we did have a love-chuckle when Siggie’s buddies under the Maypole obviously re-positioned him back a step before they hoisted him up on their shoulders. And oh my goodness, the broad smiles of the peasants dancing for his benefit could not have been more genuine nor more proud.

It’s been a while since ABT’s Siegfried has so deeply conveyed the prince’s questioning and indecision as to what direction his life should take. De la Nuez’s bare honesty of Siegfried's emotional dilemma captivated us from its very first moment. His long, scrupulous leg lines — there’s something in the Ohio water that triggers them (Klesa, von Enck, Catazaro) — hit their positions in the air and on the floor like magnets snapping together. To repeat, his grand jetes were exospheric in height. Beautifully shaped pirouettes and EF5 tornadic turns a la second were punctuated with exquisitely pointed feet. He aggressively went after the many double tours that landed in arabesque and steered most of them definitively and some elegantly. De la Nuez's partnering of Gillian Murphy had a stutter or two, perhaps from over-partnering, but it was clear that he was going to err on the side of doing too much rather than too little. Siegfried's devotion to Odette, his momentary lapse of fidelity, and his sincere regret were all palpable in this portrayal. Such a fine, fine debut.

Thus far, we’ve seen the Swan Lake performances of Misseldine/Bell, Teuscher/Ahn, and Murphy/de la Nuez. What a roaring start to the summer season it has been. Chloe Misseldine and Devon Teuscher herald a new era of Ivanov interpreters and Petipa progressives just as Gillian Murphy did almost twenty-five years ago. Aran Bell and Joo Won Ahn each have developed substantive interpretations of Siegfried that go with their gorgeous dancing. Bell is elegance personified but is still justifiably cautious compared to earlier seasons prior to injury; Ahn, a technical gambler, is thrilling when he finds his confidence and makes his own luck.

Words cannot fairly describe the beauty & majestic qualities of Misseldine’s and Teuscher’s Odettes/Odiles. One can only feel their true power in one’s own heart while watching. The viewer believes them. Who could possibly ask for more beautifully-lined limbs that convey honesty and suffering one minute and poisonous treachery the next? And yeah, they not only did all the steps; they relished in them. This includes Murphy who in her penultimate Odile managed thrilling stop-on-a-dime pauses to her pirouette/attitude en dehors combination — with a viper-like glare out to the audience.

Joseph Markey’s purple von Rothbart impressed with its toxic force. Sung Woo Han, Patrick Frenette, and Jake Roxander each excelled in the role of Benno. Frenette’s interpretation was particularly well-developed and suggested his own aristocratic bearing. Are we going to see him as Albrecht, like when, in his next life? Come on …

Elisabeth Beyer in the Pas de Trois reminded us that women should and can do entrechat six as well as men. Some of the women featured as soloists and demis couldn’t even manage to cheat their ways through entrechat six; some just gave up. The double tours of the corpsmen were awesome. Their coupe jete entournant were beyond formidable.

The Swan Corps was serviceable and at times rose to the level of great beauty, particularly in Act IV. David LaMarche’s nuanced and sensitive conducting instantly read what each artist needed. Charles Barker’s steady hand allowed the artists to know exactly what to expect. The exceptional violinist should have been credited in the program insert. Can we fix that for the final week of Swan Lake?

The H.H. Pump Bump Award, designed for acceleration and long mileage, is bestowed upon Michael de la Nuez for his courageous debut as Siegfried.

6/7 Evening
School of American Ballet Workshop Performance

June 8, 2025 8 Comments

So this happened.

Saturday about 1pm Haglund was on a crowded northbound M11 bus on 10th Ave coming home from the gym. As the bus approached the 34th St stop, he was endorphin-laden relaxed and casually strumming his pickleball paddle. The bus door opened and on climbed a very tall elderly gentleman with a cane. He was dressed to the nines— so elegant that he could have been starring with George Clooney in Good Night, Good Luck in the live broadcast that night. He was accompanied by a younger middle-aged woman.

A passenger seated at the front got up and offered the elderly gentleman his seat. He sat down and immediately struck up a conversation with the young man directly across from him who, thankfully, was not the typical New Yorker who rides the M11. After exchanging their “very well, thank yous” the elderly gentleman sat up straight and announced, "We’re in town just for today. My granddaughter is graduating from the School of American Ballet.” He beamed. Could not hide his smile. “It’s the most prestigious ballet school in the country. My granddaughter is going to be in THREE ballets today!” The atypical M11 passenger opposite said how wonderful that was. The gentleman beamed like the warm sun which on this day was nowhere in sight — it was raining. He began explaining to the passenger opposite just what made ballet so beautiful and how hard all the dancers work. He professed his admiration for Tiler Peck who he said had recommended his granddaughter for something or other. He urged the passenger opposite to go to the ballet to see Tiler Peck in anything. The passenger thanked him with genuine kindness and exited through the back door at 42nd St.

On climbed a spry NYC-wise senior citizen, an attractive woman probably in her mid seventies, who sat down opposite the elderly gentleman. He immediately started flirting — acknowledging her energy and telling her to keep it up. She smiled back at him with a side wink and asked, “Are you visiting from out of town?” The elderly gentleman sat up straight, "We’re in town just for today. My granddaughter is graduating from the School of American Ballet.” He beamed. Could not hide his smile. The lady beamed back. The gentleman said that he was 79. The lady asked, “1945?” He replied, “1946.”

A couple of stops later, Haglund exited the bus. He had wanted so badly to join the conversation because he would be attending the evening SAB performance but it was just too wonderful sitting there observing this grandfather in his pride and joy. Whoever his granddaughter is, we hope she knows how lucky she is and what a joyful impact she has had on this man’s life.

Saturday evening’s SAB Workshop performance was outstanding. The kids from the Nutcracker party have grown up. The bugs from Midsummer Night’s Dream are navigating in pointe shoes. The young boys are now rumbling in Robbins’ Glass Pieces.

Raymonda Variations, staged by Suki Schorer, Lauren King and Gonzalo Garcia, was exquisitely led by Jaiya Chandra and Simeon Neeld. Soloists Charlotte Hall, Leah Carter, Lennon Sullivan, Simone Gibson, Renee Augustyn and Yeva-Mariia Skorenka dispatched the challenging choreography with poise and professionalism.

The upper divisions danced an excerpt from Cortege Hongrois staged by Aesha Ash. The dancers were impeccably drilled and unafraid of the obvious challenges before them. NYCB corps dancer Laine Habony choreographed a truly charming piece to Franz Schubert entitled Schubert Symphony for the lower division students. It was a perfect vehicle for these young students — a bit on the order of the Garland Dance — who were so ready to take over the audience. And did.

Robbins’ Akhnaten excerpted from his Glass Pieces for the upper division students closed the program. It was everything we saw from the main company this past spring on the main stage. Incredible energy, joy, all of it concentrated on living within an ensemble, for the ensemble, by the ensemble. The Capstone Class kids are about to go forward into the rest of their lives guided by the unique discipline, persistence, and citizenship values instilled in them at SAB. One doesn’t have to be a proud grandfather to be gratified by that.

NYCB 5/30
Puck in the net for the Stanley Cup win

May 31, 2025 8 Comments

Notwithstanding Taylor Stanley’s impetuous, scene-stealing Puck, New York City Ballet’s Friday evening performance of Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream caused more wince than wonderment. Sure, the kids were cute enough. But how long can one sit there and witness the women heaving unsightly ill-positioned attitude derrière after ill-positioned attitude derrière thrown out from the side like gymnasts pandering to judges for a 10? Honestly, it seemed to be a main & monotonous foul in both acts of the ballet and came to a painful head in Act II when the six Divertissement ladies faced the audience and bent over in penche attitude. Oy, no two extended legs were even similar, let alone the same. What a mess to see. We noticed this issue in Ballo as well when a soloist grossly threw open the left hip in order to make the grand jete en attitude appear more grand. No, it’s not Balanchine technique, People; it’s bad form.

[We’ll pause this thrashing to say how beautifully the New York City Ballet Orchestra played Mendelssohn’s starry score. We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again, this orchestra deserves to have a stint at Carnegie Hall just the way the Met Orchestra does. A program of Divertimento No 15, Ballo della Regina, the Bach from Concerto Barocco, and Firebird would have the Carnegie Hall regulars begging for more — which they could only get by coming to the ballet.]

An ongoing problem that stems from a lack of experience in classical theatrical productions was the forced mime that looked like parody. None of the men in this production or in Sleeping Beauty know how to wave their arms to summon others on the stage to action without making it look like they are flipping-off someone. Since NYCB has Craig Salstein and Alexei Ratmansky on the premises often, why not ask one of them to fix this?

Then there is the issue of dropping character when the steps get tough. Joaquin de Luz never dropped character in the face of challenging steps or perilous partnering. If anything, he added more character, because it helped him get through it. That said, we were otherwise thrilled with David Gabriel’s debut as Oberon in so far as the steps go. Aaron Sanz’s Cavalier and Emilie Gerrity’s lovely Titania were an attractive pair. We thought that since Aaron has become such a skilled partner, Emilie could have trusted him more by being less guarded. There were enough glimpses of what a freer Titania would look like to make us want to see much more.

Naomi Corti was the Hippolyta of Shakespeare’s own dreams. She came out of nowhere with a fierceness and huge dancing that made the stage look small. Her fouettes were a show of strength that we haven’t seen in a long time — her working leg shot out furiously and carried past second position before whipping around. In the Act II Pas de Deux with Owen Flacke, she showed great composure and elegance and held on those few times when Flacke blinked before anticipating what was needed. Oh my, what a presence Flacke is on stage and what an impact he makes when those scrupulous lines are in motion. Praying to the dance gods that he possesses beautiful double tours, too.

Mira Nadon and Peter Walker were a stunning pair in the Divertissement. Mira seemingly was thinking well beyond the steps to project something much bigger. She exploited the steps to create a magical world of her own. Peter’s partnering flattered Mira in several ways. His own arms were long enough to allow her to extend her own extraordinary length as far as possible. Between the two of them there were complementary and supplementary angles everywhere we looked. It was nice to see that big smile when he landed the double tour to the knee.

Whether Balanchine intended it or not, the star of this production is now Puck. Taylor Stanley’s range of Puck’s facial expressions and physical detail just keeps growing. On Friday his mischievousness surged all the way down into his toes. No matter how many times one has watched this ballet, one could not know what he would do next. How hard it must have been for the other dancers on stage to look him in the face and not lose composure. His sprint-stop-sprint scampering around the stage was like the classic Roadrunner “meep meep" whoosh before something went terribly wrong for Wiley Coyote. Whenever we have seen Stanley’s beautiful dancing in white tights roles such as Apollo, Emeralds, or Nutcracker, we want to see him in nothing else. Then comes Puck. How lucky we are to watch this versatile artist night after night.

Our HH Pump Bump Award, a studded stiletto from Louboutin, is bestowed upon Taylor Stanley — absolute gold in Puck and everything else.

Andrew Veyette’s Farewell Performance 5/25
He went a little too crazy.

May 26, 2025 8 Comments

For the past decade of his 25 year career with New York City Ballet, Andrew Veyette has kept us on the edge of our seat. “What is he doing?! OMG, doesn’t he know how old he is?! He got away with it!” He would then laugh his way into the wing. He launched pirouettes like a kid launching rocks from a slingshot — where they landed wasn't the aim; just hit something. Few people could hang on for dear life to a pirouette or turns a la seconde like Andy Veyette.

Today we celebrated Veyette’s career and final performance. The program was magnificent in design. It didn't so much show what a charming versatile performer he was as it showed what was important to him — the community of artists with whom he worked and lived.

In the excerpted final movement from Jerome Robbins’ Glass Pieces, Veyette burst onto the empty stage and ran counterclockwise as the thundering drums of Akhnaten called to the rest of the tribe to join him. Out they came. Has NYCB ever had such a handsome male corps — doubtful. These guys could give the firemen a run for their money if they did a calendar. Veyette danced with them shoulder to shoulder and then skedaddled off before the women’s corps entered for the finale. He had to quick-change into his costume for the next ballet that followed a short pause.

Next up in Lynne Taylor-Corbett’s Chiaroscuro, Veyette entered the empty stage again but this time circling it clockwise. What was the significance of beginning the program running counterclockwise and evolving into going clockwise? Haglund knew if he thunk on this too long that he’d come up with some plausible but unlikely theory; so he’ll let the readers speculate.

Chiaroscuro plays on the contrast of light and shadow. The skillful and inventive choreography, now 30+ years old, still outshines much of the new stuff that NYCB hard-sells to its audience as the next most incredible thing. Ashley Laracey, Olivia MacKinnon, Brittany Pollack, Preston Chamblee, and Daniel Ulbricht (Ulbricht & Veyette each got their apprenticeships in 2000) joined Veyette in the ensemble piece dancing under spotlights and in the shadows. The piece ended with a dramatic knee slide by Veyette to the foot of the stage with his arms outstretched and head thrown back. It seems that knee slide might have been more dramatic than we could see — as we shall later see.

After intermission Veyette danced “Cool” from Robbins’ West Side Story Suite with a little help from friends Unity Phelan, Indiana Woodward, and Alexa Maxwell — and of course a tribe of men from the corps and soloist ranks. But something was off with his gait and balance. The whole thing wasn't as cool (as in hot) as Veyette’s previous Cools. But it was good enough and served its purpose.

Next, Emma Von Enck and David Gabriel sizzled in Ballo della Regina. As at their performance last Sunday at 11 a.m., the tempi were scorching which made the performance all the more exciting. We’d still like to see Ashley Hod and Peter Walker dance this. The ballet was made on taller dancers who possessed the speed of their smaller colleagues, and it’s why taller dancers always look better in it. We weren’t sold on the four soloists, however.

Then the pause before the excerpt from Stars and Stripes turned into a delay. After about 15 minutes, Conductor Andrews Sill suddenly left the podium and pit. He returned a short time later with quiet instructions to the orchestra members who started quickly flipping past pages in their scores and making notations. Not a good sign, ever.

Veyette and Ashley Hod entered the stage for the PdD but it was obvious that something was wrong because Veyette was having stability issues with his leg. At one point he stepped back as if in a rehearsal and dropped his hands to say that he just couldn’t do it. A bit later it appeared as though his leg collapsed on him. They got through the PdD, which was not the spectacular Liberty Bell debut that we know Ashley would have had under other circumstances. They both covered their concern well. No variations were danced. The three regiments led by Erica Pereira, Megan LeCrone, and Daniel Ulbricht marched on and the finale proceeded. At the point where Capitan stands downstage at the wing and watches the corps, Veyette shook his head as if he could not believe his fate of the finale being cut out from under him. But yes, cruelly, that’s just what happened.

What followed was an outpouring of love onto the stage by Veyette’s colleagues. So much love — and a stool from Tyler Angle for Veyette to sit on. Marika Molnar, longtime physical therapist and the company’s health and wellness coordinator walked out holding a yard of what looked like kinesiology tape for Veyette. Principals, soloists, corps, artistic staff, and a cadre of orchestra members and conductors all paid tribute to Veyette with flowers.

It doesn’t matter if one’s life goes clockwise or sometimes counterclockwise, one’s time marches on in the same direction — just like the regiments coming forward at the end of Stars and Stripes. Andrew Veyette has had a good, long career and has brought much joy to the people who have watched him dance. We hope he will choose to pass on what he has learned to others for the next 25 years. We bestow upon him our magnificent red, white & blue Gucci H.H. Pump Bump Award.

Rumors of Haglund’s demise have been greatly exaggerated
NYCB’s Starship lands for the Spring Season

May 16, 2025 8 Comments

Sometimes life gets in the way of ballet and blogging. Here it is the end of the fourth week of NYCB’s spring season, and Haglund is just firing up. He saw some performances and has a few things to say. First off, the company looks sensational — in some of the best shape of its life which is amazing considering the talent that has been sidelined due to injuries, most notably Huxley, Danchig-Waring, Riccardo, and now sadly, Bolden. All of these artists are sorely missed.

But the Starship holds a mega-load of high-octane fuel as demonstrated by the bold, crisp, confident dancing of the soloist and corps men who night after night heralded nothing’s gonna stop us now. Y’all may have thought we built this city on rock ’n roll. Oh no no no. We built this city on grace and slick. And we got plenty of power, grace, and slick during the first four weeks of the season.

Soloists David Gabriel, Jules Mabie, and Aaron Sanz — each so different, each developing his own unique conversation with the audience — carved out their repertory with commanding performances. Gabriel in Ballo Della Regina, Paquita, Brandenburg, and Sonatine revealed that he’s far more than a technical showman. Mabie finally conquered Scotch Symphony, showed exceptional partnering in Brandenburg, and delivered clean, beautiful allegro in Divertimento No 15. Sanz continued to infuse his strength of line with dramatic power in Brandenburg opposite the impossibly talented Mira Nadon, in After the Rain with the quietly beautiful Miriam Miller, and personified male elegance opposite the luxurious dancing of Isabella LaFreniere in Vienna Waltzes.

Threatening to overshadow these male soloists was a contingent of talented corpsmen who will grab the controls of the Starship in coming seasons and steer it to unforeseen heights. Owen Flacke and Charlie Klesa, besides possessing Disneyesque handsomeness, are each Captain Scrupulous in their lines and feet and in their comportment. McKenzie Bernardino Soares was so quietly commanding that when one finally focused on him it was like finding gold. We’re hoping that these three have been working hard on their double tours which have been a little uncertain in past seasons.

The women are nothing to turn up our noses at. Soloist Ashley Hod made striking debuts as a muse in Apollo and in Paquita. She is a leading dancer, if ever there was one, and we need to see her leading more in high profile Balanchine principal roles. She was stunning in her soloist role in Ballo Della Regina, but really, but honestly, she should have been dancing the lead role which was made for a taller ballerina with distinctive geometric lines. The principal’s allegro comes naturally for the smaller allegro specialists and it can sometimes look rather un-special. But when a taller dancer takes on the challenges of Ballo, it becomes something else altogether different. Ashley Laracey employed her unique lyricism and hypnotizing limbs to mine the full beauty of Scotch Symphony, Paquita, and Divertimento No. 15. We’ve always thought that she might set a new standard in After the Rain, but Wheeldon seems to have veered from dancers like Wendy Whelan in his initial casting to the tallest, leggiest women whose sight in a somewhat flesh colored leotard makes a bigger impression than the choreography itself. It’s all about the hair and bare leg effect in what has now become a gala piece. It needs a good long rest unless it is offered to Ms. Laracey to dance.

The corps women collectively are a little hodge-podge in size these days and care needs to be given not to plant a tall corps behind short principals. We saw very lovely, spirited work from Meaghan Dutton O’Hare and Malorie Lundgren in Paquita dancing like tomorrow doesn’t matter tonight. Mia Williams caught our eye whenever she was on stage. Her debut in the Minkus Pas de Trois in Paquita revealed respectful attention to classical style right down to the turn and presentation of the face and port de bra when executing a grand jete in attitude. (She was the only one who managed to move the head correctly on the jump.) Her rock solid technique came with a tranquil expression of confidence and generosity. She’s a lovely, lovely dancer who we can’t wait to see more of her in classical works—e.g., Fairy of Tranquility or Generosity in Sleeping Beauty.

(Parenthetically, we just want to mention how dreadful the supposedly skincolor-matched tights are becoming. Until around 1970 most women’s ballet tights were thick bubblegum pink. Then Freeds arrived with their so-called European pink tights and shoes that were more peachy than pink and much more sheer. The bubblegum pink tights reflected stage lighting so well that the audience could see every tendon up the leg. The tights matched the shoe ribbons which made the ribbons nearly invisible and elongated the line. These days all of the tights are darker and more sheer and do not reflect the stage lighting. Instead, they absorb the light which makes it difficult to see the legs and makes the legs less attractive. The ribbons are more visible and truncate the leg lines. Additionally, all of the costumes do not look color-coordinated over tights that suggest a Kardashian spray tan. (We’re not going to get into how dark spray tan with shiny bleached blond hair could possibly enhance the cohesiveness of the women’s corps — it doesn’t and it’s annoying.) The dark tights absorb the light instead of reflecting it. While watching In G Major, it seemed so pitifully stupid to have all the men prancing around in glistening white tights while the women wore a mishmash of tights and shoes, none of which were coordinated with the costumes. NYCB should stop wasting donors' money and the company’s precious time with this shallow testimony of its dedication to inclusivity. They’re making the women’s legs look bad. It’s time to go back to bubblegum pink tights and be done with it or else start also dressing the men’s legs in flesh colors and re-do all the costumes and the lighting to go with the new tights.)

One of the strongest performances we have seen thus far this season was Chaconne led by Isabella LaFreniere and Peter Walker. It was masterful in every respect and brought out the beauty of the ballet through adherence to the ballet principle of unfussiness. Nothing got in the way of the choreography and musicality. It was perhaps the most architecturally elegant and musically potent performance of this ballet that Haglund has ever seen. Isabella visualized power and grace as equals. The majestic line from the ear down the neck to the shoulder, the breathing wrists, the connection of the steps with such flow that the viewer could not imagine ever seeing them any other way, the softness of gaze without excessive drama — it was a dreamy performance. Peter was outstanding as well. He danced with an urgency that came right to the maximum line without going over. Every step was crisp and complete and purposeful.

Another memorable performance was Taylor Stanley’s titan Apollo which Haglund thought was the best of the three; the other two being Chun Wai Chan and Roman Mejia. Taylor’s interpretation was rich with understanding. The viewer felt the weight of Apollo’s time as well as his impatience and questioning. Taylor seems to be blessed with soulful eyes and a gaze that can see far beyond what others have managed. There was a depth of feeling in those eyes, a sense of fate and responsibility.

The Muses in NYCB’s Apollo need reconfiguring. Terpsichore and Apollo are on the verge of something that will get her 5 to 25 years locked up. Theirs is not supposed to be a love story. In the first part, the Muses are supposed to be authoritative sources of knowledge — Montessori-type guides who influence young Apollo with the arts, not flirt with him. We’ve never seen Muses hit their marks more perfectly than when Kowroski, Mearns, and Reichien ushered Chase Finlay’s Apollo to maturity. What an upbringing that was!

Moving along with the Starship. Sara, Sara, storm brewing in your eyes. We found Pavane with Sara Mearns to be exceptionally beautiful. Balanchine set the work to Ravel’s famous Pavane pour une Infante Defunte (Pavane for a Dead Princess). We were easily able to connect with what Sara was putting out on stage in a such a simple, heartfelt fashion. The sweeping use of a long white scarf as a prop restrained the overuse of her arms which is often distracting and was so in her performance of Chaconne earlier this spring. But this Pavane was gorgeous, and we think Sara should keep it in her pocket all the way to the finish line.

One of the sayings around the Starship is It’s not over ’til it’s over. We got a big celebration coming up on the 25th. Until then, we want to bestow the H.H. Pump Bump Award, a Jimmy Choo diamond slingback, on Isabella LaFreniere for her diamond-worthy performance in Chaconne.

observations 4/11

April 11, 2025 4 Comments

In a stunning but artistically important move, Cassandra Trenary will leave ABT to join the Vienna State Ballet as a principal dancer working under the guidance of Alessandra Ferri who is about to become the company's director. Vienna dances traditional ballets but also more wide-ranging, artistically adventurous works, which it can afford to do with generous governmental support. It does not live or die by the commercial successes of its Swan Lake and Nutcracker.

This is how it should be at ABT & NYCB. A principal dancer should give the best that they have while it is still the best that can be had in their company's signature works and then go feed their artistic souls elsewhere. Don't hang out so we can watch the technique start to decline, steps drop like ATT cellphone calls, and artistry stagnate while upcoming talents wither away waiting for opportunities.

Haglund had kinda hoped to see Trenary lead Lady of the Camellias, but it doesn't seem that production will land on ABT's stages any time soon. Best of luck to her, and we hope that other local talents are watching her move closely.

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We're pretty excited about some of the upcoming casting for the first week of NYCB's Spring Season. Big, big opportunities for Owen Flacke, Ashley Hod, Domenika Afanasenklov, and Charlie Klesa. We're relieved to see Isabella LaFreniere return after being on the IL for too long. And we are looking forward to the cast of tall Muses in Apollo – Nadon, Miller, Kikta! Soooo, how's that broken foot coming along on Davide Riccardo — anybody know? We're fairly anxious to get him back but we certainly don't want a repeat of Harrison Ball's foot history that ended his career.

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At this point in time, we have to recommend saving your money by giving Roundabout Theatre's Pirates, the Penzance Musical with David Hyde Pierce a pass. Pierce is in way over his head as Major General Stanley. At 66 years old, he's a very old 66 and tends not to move his body in this dance-heavy musical. His voice is weak and the patter songs are colorless and less than entertaining as he struggles with the speed and lyrics while standing still. Ramin Karimloo as Pirate King carries the show — even with leaving his shirt on but, of course, unbuttoned. Warren Carlyle's choreography holds up well and basically holds up the show when it really shouldn't have to. Haglund may go again when the understudy for Major General Stanley steps in.

New York City Center 4/3
Sara Mearns – Don’t Go Home

April 4, 2025 8 Comments

One of the story lines in SMASH, now in previews on Broadway and choreographed by Josh Bergasse, is that the actress who is supposed to portray Marilyn Monroe temporarily and intentionally loses her own identity and "becomes" Marilyn. She only responds to people who address her as Marilyn. Every minute of her day she is Marilyn whether she's working on her play or not.

In the premiere of Don't Go Home, a dance-theater production at City Center that only runs through Saturday night, Sara Mearns is riveting as the dancer "Sara" who intentionally loses herself in the character "Claire" in every way possible in order to get to the character's truth and reveal it through the choreography. She even rearranges the furniture in her apartment to make it the way her character would want. "Sara" stalks "Claire's" psyche relentlessly and humorously while her director employs comments in a stereotypically condescending tone to get her to move along with the tasks at hand.

What a delightful surprise it was to hear Mearns speak theatrical lines with such polish and skill. When at the foot of the stage peering out while wondering what the off-stage director was whispering about her, she was very, very funny. Frank Wood as The Director nailed the patronizing nature of the character, and Mearns played off of it like a pro.

Gilbert Bolden III in the dual role of her two boyfriends landed his theatrical debut on the City Center stage spectacularly. As Mearns' dance partner and foil, he was exceptional. It's now fair to invite comparison of his huge talent to Marcelo Gomes with whom Mearns performed several years ago in the City Center production of The Red Shoes. Bolden, the newest principal at New York City Ballet, is also a "stage animal" in this production.

Guillaume Côté developed the concept of Don't Go Home and is the choreographer. He is also credited as a director along with Jonathon Young who wrote a clever and captivating script. We're always interested in what Côté has to say on stage. His imagination and skills cover several disciplines, and his artistic endeavors often have a visionary leaning that holds the viewer's attention. His choreography and staging for Mearns, Bolden, and at one point Anna Greenberg was interesting and original. But because so much of the "music" was unaccompanied percussive banging, we can't say that there was anything at all "musical" about it. It was countable, but not musical. Nevertheless, we enjoyed following every step, pause, and movement direction for all three onstage performers.

Marc Happel designed the costumes — pleasingly simple, nothing pretentious. Brandon Stirling Baker's lighting designs enhanced every second of the program with striking blackouts and spots. He certainly knows how to light Sara Mearns to gorgeous effect. No one was credited with makeup and hair, but we want to mention that whenever Mearns has appeared on the City Center stage, her makeup has been stunning and revealed her like we rarely see on stage. We've often wished to see more of the same on the NYCB stage rather than the swept-up 'do and gothic eyes and lips.

The second part of the program, Dance Is A Mother by Jamar Roberts, was less appealing. The cast included Mearns, Jeroboam Bozeman, Ghrai DeVore Stokes, Anna Greenberg, and Roberts. It was mostly aerobic arm-dancing like one might have seen in a 1990s dance/fitness video. There were moments of nice ensemble work. Admittedly, Roberts could stand on stage wearing a paper bag and our eyes would be glued – so long as there were arm holes in the bag. This dance will appeal to some, and it was warmly received last night.

We're going to throw Sara Mearns an H.H. Pump Bump Award for this unexpectedly delightful and entertaining project which she curated in conjunction with New York City Center. It's pretty clear what her Act II is going to be and we think it's going to be great.

Go see SMASH!

March 13, 2025 No Comments

As we wait for ABT’s single tickets to hit the shelves on April 7th, NYCB’s first week of spring casting which is due around April 8th, and the NYCB ’25-’26 season which should drop around April 15th, there is plenty around town to keep balletomanes busy.

Susan Stroman’s SMASH opened preview performances on Tuesday at the Imperial Theatre and, oh my, she’s done it again! It’s a musical based on the TV series about a musical being created about Marilyn Monroe entitled “Bombshell." Stroman was visibly touched by the extended roaring ovation that she received when she stepped out from the curtain corner to explain a few things. First, she wanted us to know that the cast & crew had not yet made it all the way through a tech rehearsal without having to stop to fix something; so there might be a pause or two. Then she wanted us to know that the crew had not yet had the opportunity to practice the turnover at intermission; so she recommended that we all have an extra drink or three because it might be a long one. Then she dropped a proverbial bombshell. She had to put an understudy on stage in the principal role of Susan Proctor, and it would be the actor’s Broadway debut. The audience was ready. Ready for everything. We were clutching our sparkly souvenir posters which had been placed on every seat in the house, and we just wanted this long-awaited show to get going.

Get going, it did. The choreography by Josh Bergasse is muscular musical theater dance, a stylish composite of influences from the great Broadway choreographers, including Stroman herself. Not a slow moment to complain about. The cast is incredible. Robyn Hurder as Ivy who turns into “Marilyn” captures the glamour and neurotic traits of the star while Brooks Ashmanskas as the director, Nigel, steals the show in “Brooks-ish” form — Mel Brooks, that is. (Does everyone remember that first preview performance of the Brooks/Stroman The Producers? Nobody in the audience knew what was scripted and what was not.) Oh, and the understudy? Chelle Denton making her Broadway debut as Susan Proctor, the acting coach from The Actors’ Studio who manipulates Ivy into becoming “Marilyn,” was phenomenal! Her character exaggerations were not too far off from the truth.

Music and lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman are memorable and hummable. The orchestra sounded fabulous and robust as directed by Stephen Oremus.

See this show before the tickets go wonky-expensive.

Next up for us is David Hyde Pierce as Major General Stanley in Pirates of Penzance followed by Hugh Jackman’s show at Radio City Hall .

NYCB 2/27
New swan, new hope

February 28, 2025 6 Comments

Not many people know that the Iowa River which runs through the middle of the University of Iowa campus in Iowa City has long been home to a population of trumpeter swans. Most of them nest upstream along the shores near the Coralville Dam just north of the city. But back some 50 years ago, it wasn’t unusual to see them in pairs puttering along close to the campus riverbank when Haglund would walk across the river footbridge to his Iowa Writers’ Workshop sessions. Finding elegant swans in Iowa City where everything was designated as Hawkeye-this or Hawkeye-that somehow always seemed improbable — as improbable as finding an elegant Iowa swan at New York City Ballet where the ecosystem doesn’t include a natural habitat that would suggest one could flourish.

Last evening Iowa City native Miriam Miller landed her Odette Swan Queen on the stage in Peter Martins' production for the first time with a massive wingspan, soaring jete, and towering authority. This was a major entrance if ever there was one. Miller, one of the company’s tallest dancers, also had an innate delicacy in her long arms, a gracefulness in her neckline, and a softness to her artistic voice that compelled us to listen to her. We thought for a moment that she might actually wrestle the bow & arrow out of the kneeling Prince Siegfried’s hands as she tried to balance her arabesque against it, but she regained her composure quickly as she did again on a fluke misstep with a pique turn. The jitters evaporated like fog on a lake, and she went on to build an impressively eloquent and articulate story of Odette. The stretch of her arabesque was song-like, and one could visualize the line that ran from the tips of her elegant fingers to the tips of her toes. Her wrists, elbows, and bending torso spoke her sorrow; her legs and feet spoke her determination to find a release from the sorcerer’s spell. Hopefully, there will be opportunities to work on supported pirouettes to make them rotate more freely and also make those brushes from 4th or 5th position into the high ronde de jambe en l’air as stunning as we know they can be. Whether the designated abhorrent tempi will ever permit any Odette to fully point her feet in the rapid entrechat quatre/passe section is doubtful; but maybe it can one day be negotiated for the sake of the art. Not likely, but maybe.

Miller’s Odile was nearly complete from start to finish. This production’s version isn't one of the more challenging versions, but even the basic version done well is highly effective. What we appreciated most was that Miller did not drop Odile’s character when approaching a technical moment where the odds might be less in her favor to pull it off. She maintained Odile’s dark, seemingly impenetrable force throughout and built her performance to a climactic series of centered fouettes that got close enough to the finish line to get the checkered flag. At that point, all the stress was gone and she closed with a 4th act that was filled with soul and easy beauty.

Chun Wai Chan was everything one wants in a Prince Siegfried. His ballon and batterie were in great form. His partnering was remarkable given that Odette/Odile were a head taller when on pointe. His lifts were spectacular. His character’s searching for Odette, his regret at betraying her, and his determination to save her were all deeply felt by the viewer.

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Chan’s Siegfried debut opposite our beloved Yuriko Kayija came in Minne apolis in 2018 with Houston Ballet followed by their local debut that June. Some may recall that Haglund was able to retrofit the Gisellemobile and truck down to Houston at the onset of hurricane season to see that miraculous event. Partnering Miller, though, presented a different set of challenges for Chan. First, there was the issue of her height which he dealt with proficiently and was even able to minimize. He was also now the steadying force for this debuting Odette/Odile with the responsibility to give her everything she needed to succeed. Her performance was in his hands. She couldn’t have been luckier.

One of the unsettled questions that remains with this production after more than 25 years is why Odette turns into a Giselle and returns to the Wilis at the end while Siegfried turns into Albrecht who expresses profound grief at his loss. Von Rotbart's spell was clearly broken with his demise but for some reason, our Odette and Siegfried did not end up together, either dead or alive. Did she refuse to forgive him? What were the choreographer’s intentions? Did it have something to do with a big house fire in Connecticut? We don’t want to speculate, but the finish leaves this ballet unfinished, in our view. Seeing that the choreographer has time on his hands, it would be nice if he would tinker with this Swan Lake ending to make it less ambiguous and also clean up the succotash-inspired costume designs for the rest of the cast.

At this performance, Sebastian Villarini-Velez was wondrous as the Jester. We’ve seen this artist so infrequently due to his injuries that we were happily startled into remembering just how good a dancer and actor he is. Emily Kikta and Gilbert Bolden III were ravishing in the Hungarian Dance as were Alexa Maxwell and Alec Knight in the Russian Dance.

The H.H. Pump Bump Award, a Jimmy Choo toast to the future, is bestowed upon Miriam Miller for her glorious debut as Odette/Odile.

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