Tag: Henry Leutwyler

At NYC Ballet: Jonathan Stafford’s Farewell

Above: Jonathan Stafford, photo by Henry Leutwyler

Sunday May 25th, 2014 matinee – Jonathan Stafford’s farewell performance at New York City Ballet turned out to be not only a royal send-off for this all-American prince, but one of the finest performances that I’ve seen the Company give in recent seasons. Everyone – musicians and dancers alike – were really on their game and the affectionate tributes at the final curtain showed the sincere esteem and friendship in which his dancing colleagues hold Jonathan. It was a very emotional but also a truly happy farewell: the fact that Jon’s not going anywhere – he stays on with us as ballet master and also continues to teach at SAB – reassures us that we’ll continue to see him around Lincoln Center from time to time. It also would not surprise me if he pops up onstage again in an acting role some day.

When I think of Jon Stafford’s dancing, two images immediately come to mind: his beautiful air turns – in several diifferent ballets – where he could effortlessly change from left turn to right in the blink of an eye; and a truly mirthful moment in the first-season performances of Ratmansky’s CONCERTO DSCH where Jon stood in place, simply jumping up and down endlessly, keeping a straight face the whole time. These two elements – technical finesse plus an ability to transform the simplest of movements into something vivid – have always made Jon’s performances so highly enjoyable to watch.

And then there’s the partnering: Jon is a prince of a partner (above, in CORTEGE HONGROIS with Maria Kowroski in a Paul Kolnik photo). At the end of this afternoon’s performance, the principal ballerinas and then the female soloists all came out to present Jon with bouquets; their hugs seemed particularly sincere because over the years he’s helped them all to look their best onstage.

Siblings: Jon and his sister, NYCB principal ballerina Abi Stafford, in Balanchine’s SYMPHONY IN C, photo by Paul Kolnik. Jon and Abi danced together in EMERALDS this afternoon.

A special memory: Jon’s performances in Balanchine’s setting of Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto #2 during the 2008 season moved me to tears in the ballet’s second movement. I saw it several times that year, when Jon danced with Ashley Bouder (Paul Kolnik photos, above and below).

Today Ashley danced the ‘other’ girl in EMERALDS and gave a remarkable performance.

Above and below: Jon in DIAMONDS with Sara Mearns

Sara danced this role with Jon this afternoon, celebrating a grand finale to his NYCB career in high style.

Of course, ‘retirement’ performances always summon up a vast array of memories of the dancer being celebrated. Of the many evenings I have watched Jon Stafford onstage, I especially recall his perfect characterizations of several “Prince” roles: in FIREBIRD, in SLEEPING BEAUTY and in SWAN LAKE. From Balanchine, we enjoyed his LIEBESLIEDER, WESTERN SYMPHONY and NUTCRACKER cavalier, and from Robbins his IN THE NIGHT and DANCES AT A GATHERING (where he played “catch-the-ballerina” so memorably). Jon also made his mark in such diverse contemporary ballets as RUSSIAN SEASONS, VESPRO, LUCE NASCOSTA, OLTREMARE, and RIVER OF LIGHT; in the last-named Peter Martins ballet, Jon pulled off some thrilling one-armed lifts of Erica Pereira. His height and noble bearing made an outstanding impression as the venearble Father in PRODIGAL SON.

Aside from dancing, Jon showed his organizational skills when he put together the 2008 Dancers’ Choice event, a performance I recall clearly to this day.

Above: Jon with colleagues Amar Ramasar, Jared Angle, Jenifer Ringer and Abi Stafford in Robbins’ DANCES AT A GATHERING, a Paul Kolnik photo. Amar partnered Ashley Bouder in EMERALDS this afternoon and together they launched the afternoon with their elegant and truly inspired dancing.

And so, now to the details of today’s performance. Guest conductor Koen Kessels was on the podium and as always the under-sung musicians of the NYCB orchestra played beautifully, especially in the Faure which was so moving today.

Sometimes at a farewell, the actual performance is eclipsed by the event. Ashley Bouder and Amar Ramasar assured us immediately on curtain-rise that we were in for a super-JEWELS: save the confetti and flowers for later, we’re going to do some serious dancing! What a poetic atmosphere these two dancers created immediately, summoning up a quiet yet somehow electrifying bond between two charismatic personalities. Amar’s courtliness and Ashley’s lyric wistfulness played beautifully off one another. Complete enchantment.

The iconic and perfumed solos which Balanchine created for the two principal ballerinas in EMERALDS were so expressively danced today by Ms. Bouder and Abi Stafford. And the gracious pas de trois was danced with lovely, refined virtuosity by Erica Pereira, Ashley Laracey, and Antonio Carmena.

And then at last Jonathan appeared: the music here is too delicate to allow for applause for his entrance, but a murmur of excitement passed thru the House. Ever the dedicated cavalier, Jon devoted all his poetic energy to presenting his ballerina as if she were a precious jewel. Abi’s dancing, so light-filled and polished, had a calm radiance that ideally embodied the music. Together they were perfect.

As EMERALDS moves towards its conclusion, the dancers walk slowly about the stage as the women begin to exit. In a beautiful moment, as Jon passed in front of Ashley Bouder, a subtle smile illuminated her face – a beautiful, personal homage from one dancer to another.

A sizzling performance of RUBIES followed: Sterling Hyltin was absolutely stunning in her virtuosity, toying with the music whilst reeling off pirouettes at improbable speed and creating a character at once elegant, provocative, and playful. She met her match in Andrew Veyette who, fresh from a triumphant guest appearance in THEME AND VARIATIONS at ABT, cut loose with some vibrantly jazzy moves to Stravinsky today. The imperial Teresa Reichlen danced a signature role in today’s RUBIES, wowing the audience with her extension and dazzling sexiness. At the close of the passage where she’s manipulated by four men into uncanny poses, Tess plunges into a deep Arabesque Pencée, eye-to-eye with Giovanni Villalobos; she holds his gaze with remarkable intensity: does she want to kiss him or kill him? Huge applause today for the RUBIES principals and corps.

And finally, DIAMONDS: Jon and Sara Mearns have created a special magic with their partnership in this ballet and the obvious shared joy of dancing beautifully together to beautiful music was tinged today by the knowledge that this would be the last time. Looking a bit forlorn at first, Sara was soon swept along by the gorgeous Tchaikovsky themes and the ardent support of her prince: her smile became luminous, her dancing grand and glorious.

DIAMONDS was somewhat truncated today; eliminating the Scherzo meant that the demi-soliste women had less chance to dazzle us, but in the opening movement Gwyneth Muller and Gretchen Smith gave us some excellent dancing, their contrasting personalities drawing us in to the music.

And so, inevitably, the stage is filled with dancers in white and gold, the opera glasses momentarily zeroing in on the individual dancers of the corps de ballet who make this Company what it is, with Sara and Jonathan at the helm of Balanchine’s jewel-encrusted masterpiece.

What an extraordinary send-off for Jon: the respect and affection of his colleagues was shown in innumerable ways during the long ovation, streamers shooting down and bouquets being flung to the stage. The afternoon ended with Jon standing by a massive heap of flowers while the Company applauded him with sincere admiration.

Jon kept us waiting a long time at the stage door (I think secretly he just wanted to sneak out after everyone had left!); Wei met me there after his work day and we were especially happy to catch up with Faye Arthurs, and to greet so many of the dancers we admire so deeply. I’m sure they were all exhausted and just wanting to have supper, or a beer, and rest their weary bones. But they all took the time to chat us up, reflect on their association with Jon, discuss the highlights of their season, and tell us their summer plans. They are such incredible, dedicated, passionate, and amusing people and I’m so grateful to all of them, both for their dancing and just for being themselves.

At last Jon appeared and with a lovely mix of elation and exhaustion he thanked the intrepid fans who had stayed on to greet him. I mainly wanted to wish him a happy golf game!

On a personal note, Jon has his wedding to look forward to: in August he’ll be marrying New York City Ballet soloist Brittany Pollack. And here they are, at a Yankees game:

Best wishes, Brittany & Jon!

And one more image of Jon, dressed by Valentino (above)…a class act if ever there was one. I’m sure to be seeing Jonathan around the Plaza in the months ahead, so there’s no real need to say ‘farewell’.

May 25, 2014
All-Robbins @ New York City Ballet

Above: Wendy Whelan, photo by Henry Leutwyler

Saturday May 17th, 2014 (evening) – My first opportunity to see Wendy Whelan dancing since her return to the stage following surgery. She danced tonight in Jerome Robbins’ GLASS PIECES. I can’t begin to tell you how much I’ve missed her; at least I had the pleasure of running into her a few times in the interim.

From the moment she appeared tonight, seemingly floating into view in Adrian Danchig-Waring’s big, beautiful hands, everything suddenly seemed right with the world again: the rift in the time-space continuum was sewn up, clocks started ticking again, the lights came back on. This is what’s been missing these past few months, why everything has seemed ever-so-slightly awry. Wendy’s been such a symbol for me of my whole New York Experience, of my dream that came true; seeing her dancing again was like an affirmation of faith.

She and Adrian cast a spell over the crowd in their mesmerizing, other-worldly duet. With their stylized gestures, they speak to us over the trance-like repetitive musical motif. We are drawn into their parallel universe, and it’s breath-taking to behold. Beautiful creatures.

If their pas de deux could have gone on and on I would have been content, but as Wendy is gently borne away the jungle drums begin to beat. And who is this tall, handsome demi-god who comes wheeling into view? It’s Russell Janzen, and he’s coming into his own at NYC Ballet now: Barber Violin Concerto this past February, and now he’s been cast in the lead role of Davidsbundlertanze, which I hope to see in the coming week. He looked fantastic tonight, leading off the third movement of the Glass.

Earlier, in the ballet’s opening segment, the three ‘angels-among-us’ couples were Ashley Laracey with Daniel Applebaum, Meagan Mann with Joseph Gordon, and Emilie Gerrity with Andrew Scordato. They all look wonderful, and Mr. Gordon is stepping up nicely in each assignment.

Clothilde Otranto was on the podium tonight, and for the Prokofiev score of OPUS 19/THE DREAMER, she had City Ballet’s excellent concert-master Kurt Nikkanen spinning out the music, by turns tranquil and restless. Speaking of gods, Gonzalo Garcia certainly looked divine and his dancing was powerfully expressive. Sterling Hyltin has just debuted in this ballet and she makes a vibrant impression; the ballerina here is not always dreamy – she has some jagged, almost harsh moments mixed in – and Sterling handled these transitions with compelling musicality. She and Gonzalo looked superb throughout; the ballet ends in its iconic pose with the dancers resting their heads gently in one another’s open palms. Quiet murmurs from the crowd as the music faded indicated that OPUS 19 had again bewitched us.

Several newcomers to the cast of THE CONCERT were enough to keep me in the theatre for this ballet, one that I often skip out on. Good thing I stayed, because it was a genuinely great performance. Pianist Elaine Chelton not only played the Chopin selections very well indeed, but entered into the drama with gusto. Sterling Hyltin was back in a role as different from OPUS 19 as one could imagine; she is as fine a comic muse as she is a lyrical one. Joaquin de Luz was perfect as the hen-pecked husband who finally rebels, and Lydia Wellington debuted in the role of the wife – which has been so memorably undertaken by Delia Peters and Gwyneth Muller – and made it her own: Lydia’s timing was spot on, and her facial expressions were a characterful delight. I hardly recognized Troy Schumacher, even though I had bumped into him before the show: he had transformed himself into a total nerd. Marika Anderson’s be-spectacled ballerina was another gem; she is so versatile, and – joined by five other off-beat sylphs – drew a prolonged round of applause and laughs as they presented an epically un-coordinated pas de six.

GLASS PIECES: Laracey, *Mann, *Gerrity, Whelan, Applebaum, *Gordon, Scordato, Danchig-Waring

OPUS 19/THE DREAMER: Hyltin, Garcia [Solo Violinist: Nikkanen]

THE CONCERT: Hyltin, *Scordato, *Adams, *Segin, Anderson, De Luz, *Wellington, Schumacher, Peiffer, Nelson

May 17, 2014
Somogyi’s Back! @ NYC Ballet

Above: NYCB‘s Jennie Somogyi in a Henry Leutwyler portrait

Tuesday May 21st, 2013 – Principal dancer Jennie Somogyi has returned to New York City Ballet after being sidelined with an injury for several months. Tonight was my first chance to see her since her return and she gave a super-charged performance in Ulysses Dove’s RED ANGELS. NYCB cognoscenti scatttered throughout the house gave her a hearty cheer when she stepped out for her bows. It’s wonderful to have her back.

The house was fairly full tonight – including about half of the Fourth Ring – though I know there were people outside who really wanted to come in but who could not afford the available tickets. I’m going far less often myself, because it’s just out of comfortable reach financially.

Guest conductor Leif Bjaland opened and closed the evening conducting two great scores: Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings and Stravinsky’s Firebird. In the Tchaikovsky, he gave a somewhat more spacious feeling to the music than we’ve heard here in recent seasons: the fast passages were lively but not frantic, and he was adept at bringing out the inner voices that intertwine in the serenade’s melodic arcs.

Curtain-rise for SERENADE still puts a lump in my throat; despite a couple of tiny faux pas tonight the ballet was beautifully danced, and of course it’s a corps watcher’s paradise. The recent promotion of some of the Company’s loveliest ballerinas to soloist means that we’ll see these girls less frequently onstage; but tonight three of them – Ashley Laracey, Lauren King and Georgina Pazcoguin – retained their familiar places in this Balanchine masterpiece. The entire ballet was a feast for my opera glasses as one appealing vision after another moved across the stage in their swirling pale plue tulle.

Sara Mearns danced with silken beauty, handsomely partnered by Jonathan Stafford. Ashley Bouder’s marvelous sense of the music allows her to sail on the score’s melodic ebb and flow, pausing here and rushing forward impetuously there; her peerless technique and expressive face invest the role with many felicitous details. Rebecca Krohn gave a radiant performance, her lyricism at full-flight and so attractive to behold. It seems to me that both Ashley and Rebecca would be ideal in the ‘waltz girl’ role, and I’m hoping they’ll each have the opportunity soon. Adrian Danchig-Waring made a striking impression both in physique and face; his deep immersion in the ballet’s unspoken drama was spell-binding.

So exciting to see RED ANGELS again; it’s a favorite ballet of my friend Arlene Cooper, and I was glad to spot her from above this evening. Mary Rowell has played every performance of this ballet that I have ever experienced and she’s phenomenal, turning her electric violin into both a percussive and melodic vessel. In sleek physique-defining red body tights, the four dancers appear in introductory solos, then in duets, second solos, and a brief coda for all.

Amar Ramasar gave a magnificent, stellar performance of expansive and space-filling dance wedded to undeniable sex appeal. Jared Angle has followed in the footsteps of Peter Boal as the Company’s most poetic male dancer; in this case it’s poetry with an edge and Jared reads it with power and clarity. Teresa Reichlen’s long-limbed amplitude and cool allure are perfect here, dancing with sharp attack and soaring extension. Ms. Somogyi, her body in Olympian condition, was intense and keenly aware of the sensual energy that pulses thru the Einhorn score. Throughout, the four dancers communicate in a rich gestural dialect. Mark Stanley’s lighting is a major factor. The audience whooped it up for these exciting dancers and their vivid one-woman rock band.

Clothilde Otranto took up the baton for a definitive change of pace with the Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux. Andrew Veyette stepped in for Joaquin de Luz and won continuous rounds of applause for his swift and scintillating turns and leaps while the charm and delicacy of Megan Fairchild’s dancing exuded lyric grace, reaching an apex in a set of delicious fouette turns in the coda. The audience loved them, and rightly so.

Maria Kowroski’s imperial Firebird was the perfect finale for this parade of super-dancers. The elegant ballerina shaped the elusive avian creature into a poetic statement, creating a compelling reverie in the haunting Berceuse. Earlier, her fluttery evasions and eventual taming were finely wrought in gesture and expression and – needless to say – her long legs are an exceptional asset. I love Jon Stafford in this ballet (he replaced Ask LaCour tonight) for his sense of wonderment and almost naive heroism. He and Savannah Lowery as the captive princess gave a charming account of their courtship, surrounded by a bevy of maidens consisting of some of my favorite ballerinas. The girls – I know – take this scene with a tongue-in-cheek quality. For me it’s quite beautiful, as is the Stravinsky score – his finest in my view, and wonderfully played tonight under Mr. Bjaland’s baton.

SERENADE: Mearns, Bouder, Krohn, J. Stafford, Danchig-Waring [Guest Conductor: Bjaland]

RED ANGELS: Reichlen, Ramasar, Somogyi, J. Angle [Solo Violin: Rowell]

TSCHAIKOVSKY PAS DE DEUX: M. Fairchild, Veyette [Conductor: Otranto]

FIREBIRD: Kowroski, J. Stafford, Lowery, Catazaro [Guest Conductor: Bjaland]

May 21, 2013
Baroque Collaboration @ The Players Club

Above: Jared Angle, in a Henry Leutwyler portrait.

Friday September 28, 2012 – In a unique mingling of dance and song, New York City Ballet principal dancer Jared Angle and countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo met up in the salon at the Players Club for a Baroque feast. Jared’s NYCB colleague Troy Schumacher (who is also the founder of Satellite Ballet) choreographed the Vivaldi piece in which Jared danced. At the harpsichord, the remarkable Bradley Brookshire made marvelous music all evening. The programme was presented as part of the Salon/Sanctuary Concerts series.

Above: Anthony Roth Costanzo, whose singing of Handel, Purcell and Vivaldi showed a delicious timbre, breath control of enviable security, and coloratura that left the listener astounded. For all the magic of his virtuoso vocalism, it was in the sustained poetry of the slow passages that the slender and agile young singer was at his most ingratiating. Tapering the phrases with staggering dynamic command, the voice spoke to us of a time when the great castrati brought audiences to the point of madness. If one or two highest notes seemed slightly strained, it hardly mattered. This was fabulous vocalism, and all the more fascinating for the engaging use of eyes and hands with which Anthony mesmerized his listeners.

Bradley Brookshire (above) played solo works by Bach and Scarlatti, his scale passages rippling off the keyboard with fantastical velocity and precision. A master of timing and of coaxing colours out of his instrument, Bradley even made the silences speak. His musical rapport with the countertenor was a complete delight to experience.

It was in the Vivaldi cantata Qual per ignoto calle that the artistry of the evening’s three participants converged. Clad in black tights and a simple grey shirt, Jared Angle stepped into the space where he encountered the bare-footed counter-tenor. Troy Schumacher’s choreography drew the singer into the dance, his lithe frame very much at ease with the movement. Jared circled Anthony like an unseen spirit, a guardian angel. Using his wonderfully expressive hands to poetic effect, Jared moved with consummate grace, sometimes lifting the singer and cradling him with consoling tenderness. There were passages where Jared displayed hs vituosity in leaps and turns, but he always returned to keeping watch over his charge. Bathed in the golden light of this antique salon, Jared’s face took on an other-worldly beauty. The duet hovered on the brink of unspoken romance – inevitable when two handsome men meet in an intimate setting – but the purity of the spell was never broken.

September 28, 2012
NYCB NUTCRACKER 2011 #4

Tuesday December 27, 2011 – Above, today’s Sugar Plum Fairy at New York City Ballet: Abi Stafford in a Henry Leutwyler photo. Thanks to the Company’s new pricing policy, I only got to see four NUTCRACKERs this season as opposed to my usual seven or eight. I simply can’t afford to go as often as I would have liked, and the notion of bringing a guest is pretty much a thing of the past.

I’m sure by this point in the holiday season that the dancers and musicians are thoroughly sick of this ballet but they never gave any indication of their NUTZ-fatigue tonight. The house was substantially full despite some gaps of empty seats in the orchestra. To see Abi’s Sugar Plum, with Amar Ramasar as her Cavalier, was a big draw for me this evening. And I hadn’t see Janie Taylor’s Dewdrop in recent seasons so the lineup tonight was especially appealing.

Vincent Paradiso’s Drosselmeyer is vigorous, and he looks dapper as a prematurely grey and still youthful ‘uncle’. Excellent rapport with the children and guests; Vincent brings some real dancing into his interpretation and animates the entire scene with his lively gestures. Marika Anderson’s Frau Stahlbaum has an interestingly high-strung quality; Christian Tworzyanski is her genial spouse. Conductor Ryan McAdams took the soldier’s solo at an unusually fast pace but Troy Schumacher nailed it with some virtuoso dancing; Sarah Villwock and Kristen Segin were charming in the commedia dell’arte kissing duet. In the Snow Scene I was smitten with Lauren Lovette’s radiant dancing.

Abi Stafford’s Sugar Plum Fairy opened the second act with her finely-danced solo; she then greeted the procession of divertissement dancers, led off by Mary Elizabeth Sell and Zachary Catazaro who looked authentically Spanish and danced brightly, with Mary holding one balance to striking effect. She’s a dancer deserving of more and more opportunities. Georgina Pazcoguin’s sultry glamour as Arabian held the audience in the palm of her hand: “I like her best!” the little boy sitting behind me said aloud as Gina finished her solo; her fantastic combinations in the finale were the frosting on a delicious Pazcoguin cake. Giovanni Villalobos, another dancer we should see more of, was a sprighty Tea and Sean Suozzi’s space-filling, theatrically vivid Candy Cane energized the crowd. Ashley Laracey danced the tricky Marzipan solo with total command, polishing off her triple pirouettes to perfection. In the ensuing Waltz of the Flowers, Amanda Hankes and Brittany Pollack danced beautifully, leaving me to ponder which of them has the loveliest smile.

Janie Taylor (Leutwyler image, above) is the most ethereal Dewdrop I’ve seen; all different ballerina-types have been cast in this role over the years, from majestic goddesses to petite princesses. I love the variety of interpretations, and Janie’s stands out. With her high-flying extension and elegant jetes, the ballerina brings a touch of impetuosity to everything she does. The audience seemed very taken with her performance, showering her with applause as she flashed thru the brilliant fouette combination; later, in the finale her swift pirouette-to-arabesque sequence was beautifully timed, then she went flying off in a big, stretched-out leap.

Abi and Amar kept the audience, full of youngsters, in a keenly attentive state with their dancing of the adagio, the grand climax of the Balanchine NUTCRACKER. Here the choreographer shows us the art of classical ballet partnering, echoing the lyric grandeur of the Tchaikovsky score. In this pas de deux, Abi and Amar combined youthful freshness and a sense of courtly manners. Building from one passage to the next, the dancers capitalized on the inherent drama of the duet with its final suspenseful promenade and Abi’s sustained balance; Amar then daringly tossed the ballerina into the air before sweeping her into the final dive. The audience ate it up.

TUESDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 27, 6 PM (Conductor: McAdams)

SUGARPLUM: A. Stafford; CAVALIER: Ramasar; DEWDROP: Taylor; HERR DROSSELMEIER: Paradiso; MARZIPAN: Laracey; HOT CHOCOLATE: Sell, Catazaro; COFFEE: Pazcoguin; TEA: Villalobos; CANDY CANE: Suozzi; MOTHER GINGER: Thew; FLOWERS: Hankes, Pollack; DOLLS: Villwock, Segin; SOLDIER: Schumacher; MOUSE KING: Dieck; DR & FRAU STAHLBAUM: Anderson, Tworzyanski

As we now head into the Winter season at New York City Ballet, many long-time fans of the Company are finding their loyalty tested as they remain fully supportive of the dancers but find the marketing practices of the current regime off-putting. How it will play out remains to be seen.

December 27, 2011