Not-so Fantastic? Review of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

Movie - Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

As a Potterhead, I was ecstatic when I found out the Fantastic Beast, a series within the Harry Potter universe, was to contain five parts. Five more movies within the Harry Potter world? Count me in!

The first movie, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, was beautiful. The story of the awkward, but cute Newt Scamander letting his fantastic beasts lose in the early twentieth century hit all Harry Potter nostalgia factors and introduced audience to a whole other part of the wizarding world of Harry Potter. The intricate, yet strangely realistic magical creatures that Mr. Scamander let loose in NYC were incredibly fascinating, and the creator’s creativity was evidently unbound. Not only did the creatures satisfy my craving for more wizard-related things, but also the portrayal of the wizarding world in the United States made me fully recognize that the wizarding world was not limited to the Europe and there is a whole other continents that have wizard history. Exciting - more content to learn about in the wizarding world!

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, was a bit different. I would first like to say that yes, it still hit all the nostalgic sweet spots and just looking at the depiction of the wizarding world made me excited. However, the story itself felt a bit intermittent; many of the stories felt like a set-up for bigger stories to come. It is almost as though the J.K. Rowling took the Fantastic Beasts Saga and sliced it into 5 arbitrary pieces, contrary to Harry Potter where there was an overarching story within the series but smaller, yet substantial stories within each book and movie. Though some of the  dramatic and unsuspecting events convinced me to watch future movies, this movie just felt as though the movie makers needed a medium to introduce characters who may or may not be important in future movies. Nothing was really solved in this film, and the movie just left us off at the “rising climax” of the story.

Despite my not-so-positive commentary, I would still recommend the movie for Potterheads. For me, anything more I can learn about the Harry Potter world is enough. Additionally, Eddie Redmayne embodied the spirit of Newt Scamander so well that when I reference Eddie Redmayne, I write Newt Scamander by accident. 

Overall rating: 6/10.

Let me know your thoughts of the film and Harry Potter in general in the comments!

A Tale of Two Tiers featuring Balanchine's Jewels

I saw Balanchine’s Jewels twice the past Fall season: once with my family (9/22/18, matinee) and once by myself (9/25/18, evening). My family outing was a special one, as this was the first time my brother, his new wife/my new sister-in-law, my mom, and my dad were to see the ballet together. We splurged on nice seats in the orchestra. When I went myself, I sat in the fourth ring clutching my newly bought tickets via the 30 for 30 program NYCB has with its younger audience.

[1]

The same ballet with different seats still results in different experience, especially when one seat is far closer to the stage than the other. The orchestra seat offered an intimate experience. In Emeralds, I feel Tiler Peck’s airy and sparkly presence and see spirits of nature embody her. Unity Phelan’s youthful aura reminds me of my freer days. In Rubies, Claire Kretzschmar (who replaced Emily Kikta) dazzled as the tall girl and her later promotion to soloist evidently shows. Though I am usually enamored by Sterling Hyltin, her dancing as rubies seemed more cautious and less jazzy than I wished. Indeed, in New York Times article, she reveals that she was coached to dance differently than what her muscles were trained to do. In Diamonds, a special shout-out goes out to Joseph Gordon, whose boyish stature does not reflect his grand, yet subtle dancing; my whole family was very impressed with him and not surprised by his promotion to principal dancer a few weeks later. Sara Mearns was dramatic and exciting as always.

The fourth ring seat offered a holistic experience and allowed me to enjoy the corp de ballet more than the orchestra seat did. In Emeralds, I could see the organic shapes that the corp dancers formed, and in Diamonds, I could see more uniform formations. Though I could not  as easily view the principal dancers in this performance, I would like to point out Lauren Lovette and Gonzalo Garcia for a fun, jazzy, and jovial performance. From this performance, I had a thought. Perhaps these intricate formations that Balanchine and many other choreographers from NYCB serve those who cannot afford seats in the orchestra. The ballets are choreographed so that every single person in the audience can have at least one moment where they have the best view. For example, the pas de deux and solos that the principal roles are best enjoyed up-close; the audience can see the nuances dancers include and can see the presence of the dancer. However, when the corp de ballet perform, it’s like when one sees a mosaic art. Up-close, one sees pieces that do not connect necessarily, but once one walks farther back, the seemly-unconnected pieces come to fruition and can be fully appreciated. That is why the fourth ring exists.

I hope you enjoyed my commentary! Please leave comments about your thoughts on the ballets! 

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[1] Kourlas, “At City Ballet, Learning From Dancers Who Learned From Balanchine.”

Balanchine: The City Center Years - 11/1/18

Balanchine: The City Center Years – 11/1/18

            Before the New York City Ballet found their abode in Lincoln Center in 1964, George Balanchine and his dancers were resident to City Center - a cozy and quaint theater that allowed the NYCB to blossom to its world-renown status.[1] For its 75^th anniversary, City Center decided to stage a program with eight ballet companies:

1) American Ballet Theatre

2) The Joffrey Ballet

3) The Mariinsky Ballet

4) Miami City Ballet

5) New York City Ballet

6) Paris Opera Ballet

7) The Royal Ballet

8) San Francisco Ballet

I’d imagine that some devoted Balanchine connoisseur consider the program as an unkept menagerie that cannot encompass the style of dancing required for Balanchine’s repertories.[2]^,[3] Others, like me, see this as an opportunity to showcase the diversity of dancers from around the world and bring freshness, diversity to programs that I see often with only one company.

Apollo

I saw Apollo in April and was not very fond of the ballet. The last Apollo I saw (Chase Finlay) lacked an adolescent quality; throughout the ballet, Apollo grows as the three muses teach him the ways of life, yet when Mr. Finlay danced it, I did not see that. His dancing looked a bit uninterpreted and thoughtless. Given all the controversy with Mr. Finlay, I am quite glad I won’t see his Apollo again.

However, Xander Parish, trained at the Royal Ballet and recruited to the Mariinsky Ballet, not only showed the growth of Apollo, but he also interpreted Apollo as an adolescent who needed bearings. The first section when Apollo starts to strum his instrument, Mr. Parish looks fixated and a bit frustrated with his unrefined skill, as many young people would be when starting an instrument. However, as the ballet progressed, Mr. Parish’s dance did as well. He started as a youngster figuring out his limps and position for the first time and ends as a grown man who was the product of the three muses. A very stunning performance and beautiful interpretation.

Concerto Barocco

Though one of the most iconic Balanchine Ballets, this was actually the first time I saw it. Choreographed to Bach’s Concerto in D Minor for Two Violins, Concerto Barocco showcase the corp de ballet’s dancing and capability. The corp never leaves the stage and rarely stop. The perfect ballet for those in the upper rings, like I usually am, because it is only there one can appreciate the formations.

I am always amazed and love the corp de ballet at NYCB. In this performance, they outshined the principals. Usually Maria Kowroski mesmerizes the audience (and me) with her artistry, but in this performance, I do not think she was at her best. However, the couple next to me were thrilled with her performance so perhaps my opinion is not the majority. Abi Stafford’s dancing has grown on me, and I think she is starting to dazzle more than she has in the past. Overall, a very nice performance, particularly from the corp de ballet.

Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux

Tschaikovsky’s Pas de Deux is my favorite ballet; I probably have watched all the videos of it on Youtube, and even have the third movement as my alarm clock ringtone. I have enjoyed most of the renditions of the ballet – ones from Russian dancers, NYCB dancers, PNB dancers – but there are differences between them all. However, they should be celebrated.

Anna Rose O’Sullivan and Marelino Sambe’s dancing of the ballet was a showstopper, as it usually is. They bring a very youthful aura to the stage; they experiment with what their given in an effort to recognize what is best for them. Ms. O’Sullivan, more delicate in her variation than I’ve seen others, brought a nice airiness and slowed down the showstopper to allow the audience to digest what they’ve seen. However, she must work on her spatial orientation. Perhaps a very minute detail, good space organization elevate the performance for those on the upper rings. Mr. Sambe, with his huge jumps, tours, and turns, contrasted with Ms. O’Sullivan in his showy, kid-like, enthusiasm. His dancing showed an eagerness for the big league – I think he’s ready.

Diverimento No. 15

I have only seen snippets of Diverimento on social media, but never really understood what it was, and to be honest, this was my least favorite ballet of the program. Maybe it was because there were so many principal dancers and all of their variations melted into one in my head or because there was less information about this ballet prior for me to do my research. Though the San Francisco Ballet proved their standing as a world-class company with the beautiful pointe work from both the principals and the corp de ballet members, the ballet seemed to drag on. However, I need to give a shoutout to the dancer who did the third variation (Koto Ishihara). (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3BfT-SiKLk – I think this Megan Fairchild dancing the Third variation. Please correct me if I’m incorrect). Her speed and grace were impressive!

I hope you enjoyed my commentary! Please leave me a comment if you have something to say about the ballet, history, or anything!

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[1] Gottlieb, “The History of George Balanchine and the New York City Ballet.”

[2] Seibert, “City Center’s Balanchine Festival Lacked a Balanchine Quality.”

[3] “Different Ballet Methods.”