So . . . along with today's announcement of some fairly interesting casting for New York City Ballet's opening week of Jewels came the announcement that the NYCB Orchestra has authorized a strike in the event that contract negotiations stall. Nothing's ever easy in this city. Let's hope that everyone stays calm and focused and continues to negotiate in good faith so that we can enjoy a wonderful 75th Anniversary Season. Rather than anyone screaming and threatening, why not make the artists' salaries public so that the public can make a judgement about ..read more

        Smart move by ABT to upload its casting earlier than in years past. Had hoped to see some principal casting for Curley, Frenette, Klein, and Ishchuk. They may show up in underpants in Petite Mort but would rather see them suited up in the royal regalia of Ballet Imperial and Etudes.         Cornejo, Bell, and Roxander in the more virtuosic solo in Etudes should be electrifying if they all can get those arabesque legs up and hang onto their double tours. Remembering Ahn's bravery in his knock down, death-defying Ali i ..read more

ABT's Fall Season just might satisfy Haglund's white tutu tooth. Etudes and Ballet Imperial, along with The Dream, On the Dnipro (sic) (isn't it Dnieper?), Piano Concerto #1, and Petit Mort sound like a fabulous season. Basically, this is what we want. Etudes hasn't been danced by ABT in 15 years -- why? It's a favorite the world over. Expecting a stunning technical display from Devon Teuscher! Below is a video of the Mariinsky in a miraculous finale of Etudes. Tereshkina, Sarafanov, Skylarov. Look at the height of the back legs on those men in their jumps -- principals and corps. They're kill ..read more

        Sometimes pathological optimism just bubbles up like it did this past week during ABT's performances of Swan Lake at the Met Opera House. At the moment it seems like the company has a few Odette/Odiles who are at the very height of their formidable artistic powers and who have suddenly helped ABT recover its reputation in this classic. We caught a couple of them, Skylar Brandt and Devon Teuscher, who are developing their individual interpretations at astonishing speed with the assistance of private coaches who, themselves, were memorable in the roles ..read more

        It’s not easy to shock ole Haglund in Swan Lake. But Tuesday night’s ABT performance stirred up the lake's tranquility when Hee Seo sculled through an Act III Odile that actually crested above her Act II Odette. Her Prince Siegfried, Aran Bell, who is a dozen or so years her junior, gave a startlingly brilliant performance from his authoritative entry at the top of the staircase in Act I to his dramatic death dive off the cliff at the end of Act IV. Did having a fresh young pup for a partner perk up Hee to be a little more lively? Actually the fresh y ..read more

        There was a time when ABT’s audience members did not frequently go to NYCB performances, and vice versa, because they were hungry for different things. ABT’s audience feasted on the big spectacle dramas while NYCB’s audience wanted highly-seasoned steps, speed, and energy. That’s not really the case any more. Many, if not most, of the core audience members gorge themselves on the offerings of both companies. These days balletomanes want it all — a full course meal of spectacle, drama, steps, and energy. Expectations are high, as they should be, because ticket p ..read more

        This should enrage the American Woke Folks who dedicate themselves to wiping out Petipa's masterpiece.         Vladimir Malakhov is taking his re-imagining of Petipa's La Bayadere into Asia. That's right, Ukrainian-Russian Malakhov is taking the Golden Idol, The Great Brahmin, slaves, temple dancer, shades and the whole nine yards right into Hong Kong with Brazilian Marinela Nunez, Ukrainian Iana Salenko, and Russian Vadim Muntagirov as guest artists with Cuban-American Septime Weber's Hong Kong Ballet. Yep, he's go ..read more

        Our little pink renegade in the red Azalea Corps de Ballet of Lincoln Center's Damrosch Park has appeared at last. Seemingly always late getting to the stage, she didn't show up this year until it was almost time for bows – like something out of Jerome Robbins' The Concert.         But oh, isn't she a beauty. Funny how this garden parallels life. Just when we were thinking how we really missed so many of Balanchine's big ballets -- although the season's offerings have been nothing to sniff at -- out trotted this big ..read more

Our little pink renegade in the red Azalea Corps de Ballet of Lincoln Center's Damrosch Park has appeared at last. Seemingly always late getting to the stage, she didn't show up this year until it was almost time for bows – like something out of Jerome Robbins' The Concert.         But oh, isn't she a beauty. Funny how this garden parallels life. Just when we were thinking how we really missed so many of Balanchine's big ballets this spring -- although the season's offerings have been nothing to sniff at -- out trotted this big old beautiful rose-scented Rob ..read more

        Arriving at our blessed $38 seats for our first view of Christopher Wheeldon’s new “abstract” work for New York City Ballet entitled From You Within Me, we were met by a front scrim bearing the stunning atmospheric painting by Kylie Manning. Rich marine blues and greens suggested a water scene, perhaps the ocean or a glen or an inlet surrounded by lush landscape. It was a lovely reminder of ABT’s Swan Lake curtain. Noting that Wheeldon had chosen to use the same Schoenberg music that ABT’s Antony Tudor used for his dramatic Pillar of Fire and had lift ..read more