All ballet galas are unbearable, but they’re unbearable in different ways. In the bad old ABT days, we got a deluge of war-horse pas de deux tackled by war-horse dancers. Then there are the “theme” galas, in which a bunch of disparate ballets, or snatches of ballets, are thrown together under the pretense of making Read More
Tuesday the 25th was not just the opening night of the New York City Ballet winter season, but also the kick-off gala for “Balanchine 100: The Centennial Celebration.” Yes, the Mayor was on hand, and Mrs. Governor Pataki, and a lot of donors and supporters and board members (I used to be one myself), and Read More
Why did the just-ended spring seasons of American Ballet Theatre and New York City Ballet seem like marathons to be endured, not opportunities to be enjoyed? The inescapable answer is that they’re both in trouble. Twenty years ago, even 10 years ago, each company had its own brand of problem: A.B.T. had an exhausted repertory, Read More
