My First JEWELS

It was on May 10, 1975 that I went with TJ to see my first performance of Balanchine's JEWELS at the New York City Ballet. (Click the panels at left for cast list). TJ was an old-timer at NYCB by then even though he was only 20 years old. We'd been to a few performances and I was getting to know the Company and developing lists of favorite works and dancers. My first JEWELS was a memorable experience in more ways than one. Aside from the pleasure of seeing the three ballets, there was an additional excitement caused by what must have been literally a last-minute substitution.

EMERALDS as I recall was a bit too refined for me at that time; I have since developed a great love for it but back in 1975 my idea of excitement was a short tutu, multiple fouettes and a danseur with a soaring jump and an arsenal of intricate steps. So EMERALDS with its elegiac score made me just a bit restless.  But the dancing was wonderful, especially Violette Verdy. I had already picked out Robert Weiss as a favorite among the men in the Company and he was excellent in the pas de trois.

When the dancers came out for their bows, Robert Weiss wasn't among them. TJ said he might have injured himself in the performance and gone for medical attention as soon as the curtain fell. We went out to the Promenade. The intermission stretched out beyond the normal 15-20 minutes. The audience members were back in the auditorium but standing around; the orchestra was in the pit but nothing was happening. We began to wonder if RUBIES would ever start. Finally, the lights went down and someone came on stage to announce that Edward Villella was suddenly unable to perform and would be replaced by Robert Weiss.   

Robert Weiss would go on to become the Artistic Director of Carolina Ballet. Back then, he was in the corps or possibly a soloist. I don't think he had ever danced RUBIES before and  it's unlikely he had gotten any stage rehearsal. But he went on. It seemed to TJ and me that Sara Leland was giving him little prompts and even though I was unfamiliar with the ballet, TJ thought they'd made some spontaneous adjustments in the choreography. I do recall that Weiss seemed very bold in the solo passages and a little less confident in the partnering sequences but for an emergency substitute he was pretty impressive. The audience of course loved the little drama and there was a big ovation when Sara and Ricky came out for their bows. In the soloist role, Marnee Morris - one of the first dancers I was completely crazy about - was fantastic.

DIAMONDS was beautiful but all the buzz as about the Robert Weiss rescue operation. TJ and I were huge fans of Merrill Ashley and we always looked for her on stage in every performance. She must have been absent since I crossed her name off the cast listing.

A couple of years later I saw my second JEWELS; by this time Robert Weiss had established himself as a popular and valuable dancer. Merrill Ashley and Karin von Aroldingen; Colleen Neary and Heather Watts; Patricia McBride and Suzanne Farrell. A night of legends. And as you can see I was pretty excited by Victor Castelli in the EMERALDS pas de trois. Note that several future stars were listed among the corps. 

Comments

[perky]

I love to look at old NYCB programs, I have a few but I bet not nearly as many as you! It's fun to look at the soloist and corps roster and see the names of those who advanced on to principal status, Lourdes Lopes, Kyra Nichols, Danny Duell, and Stephanie Saland, one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen.

[Sarah]

I've seen Jewels several times, but the time that sticks out most in my mind is the most recent - when I got the chance to see Ashley Bouder's premiere in Rubies. Oh my goodness- THAT was an amazing performance!

Will I see you tomorrow at the Matinee?

[Philip]

Hi Perky: Yes, I have saved the cast page of every ballet, opera, concert and recital I ever attended. About 500 of them are City Ballet. And I loved every second of it...even ballets I didn't like are fondly recalled because of the dancers who were in them.

Sarah, the great thing about City Ballet is the variety of interpretations of a given piece and how each generation of dancers keeps coming up with remarkable things like Bouder's RUBIES.

I won't be at the matinee Sunday but it now looks like I will be at the film on Monday.

[Sarah]

I will see you on Monday then!

Looking extremely forward to the documentary on Jock Soto (my first NYCB love!) and loved the coverage in the NY Times this morning about the documentary and Sean Suozi and Ellen Bar's retelling of Opus Jazz on film.

[Philip]

Sarah, allow a few extra minutes to enjoy the new look of the lobby and watch the videos...I ended up watching them twice thru the other day. The lobby could become my favorite Lincoln Center hang-out place. And the dancers are always coming & going to rehearsals. Katie Morgan came by while I was there.

[Nathan]

i can't believe judith fugate was in the corps of all three that night!! talk about HARD!

[Philip]

Ah, Judith Fugate!! I saw her once as Beauty in MA MERE L'OYE...talk about type-casting! She was also a delightful Swanhilda.

[Laura]

What an interesting story! I gasped when I read that Weiss had to go on last-minute with no rehearsal! How dramatic! How exciting! I saw Jewels on Friday, January 4 and it was amazing. I am looking forward to seeing Sara Mearns debut in Diamonds!! Can't be missed!

[Philip]

Having Sara in DIAMONDS is an indication, I think, that she is destined to be our next principal.

[Bob]

If Sara is next, I would guess that Teresa Reichlen might not be too far behind, and Tiler and Ana Sophia are probably next in line. But injuries and other factors can always alter the natural course of events.

[Philip]

Tess will undoubtedly become a principal, but they need really tall men to partner her in the 'prima' roles. Of course, letting William Lin-Yee walk out the door was about the stupidest thing they've done. We can't have tall women unless we have tall men, and he was such a promising dancer & partner.