New Heads of NYCB Named;
Where are the Times’ Reviews?

New York City Ballet and School of American Ballet announced the appointment of Jonathan Stafford as Artistic Director and Wendy Whelan as its Associate Artistic Director of NYCB. Jonathan was the company’s interim director after Peter Martins resigned in January 2018. Before the performance Thursday, Jonathan and Wendy addressed the Koch Theater crowd, indicating excitement for the future of NYCB. Wendy said that the company is “united and making history.”

According to the NYCB press release,

At NYCB, Stafford and Whelan will serve in a new management structure designed to ensure that one of the world’s preeminent dance companies will continue to present performances of the highest artistic caliber while providing a supportive and nurturing environment for all of its artists, including more than 90 dancers and the 62-piece New York City Ballet Orchestra.

Above is a photo of Jonathan in October 2013 as the Father in Prodigal Son with Maria Kowroski and Daniel Ulbricht. Hopefully Jonathan won’t look like the Father after a few years of enduring the constant headaches of leading NYCB, dealing with the many competing and competitive interests.

Only Two New York Times Reviews in NYCB Winter Season

The New York Times had only two reviews this NYCB season and no reviews of the two-week run of Sleeping Beauty. Brian Seibert’s review of Justin Peck’s Principia and his review of Taylor Stanley’s debut as Apollo are the only performance reviews. The Times had plenty of dance coverage, with 82 articles this year listed on the Times Dance webpage. There was a similar pattern last spring in which there were few American Ballet Theatre reviews. This is unfortunate as ballet fans want performance information and opinion.