Recently, i was home in Abq; i like to have a few blank cards on hand just in case and there are a few places that always seem to carry interesting cards. Well, one of them had a line of NYCB blank cards that were just beautiful. I looked up the company and they have quite a few and i'm eagerly trying to find more of them.

They do quite a few different kinds of cards, but here's a link to the NYCB ones they have.

http://valentinemarketing.co.uk/nycityballet.html

Thought people here might be interested.

-goro-

These were on sale last year at the NYCB gift shop. I haven't been by the giftshop recently, but I imagine they're still available.

I feel a GAME coming on!

So ... who can identify the dancers and (where appropriate) the ballets? Or, for location shots, how about identifying the costumes (and, if you can, the designer) and the location?

EvilNinjaX's link has code numbers to help us place each photo that we identify.

I'll start off with the most obvious answer: CB40515: Peter Martins, Apollo.

But, who's the dancer in The Concert costume in CB40516?

And where's that garden in CB40502 and CB40505?

That's Tanaquil Le Clercq, but she's dressed for Metamorphoses, not The Concert. I've never seen Metamorphoses. I'd like to. I wonder when they stopped performing it.


The photo by the water reminds me of the Central Park Lake near Bethesda Terrace, but there's not enough context to be sure. In this photo it would be around the weeping willows behind the golden penant.

I love CB40503!

the garden might possibly be a Saratoga location, perhaps Yaddo?

Yikes! You're right! Le Clercq wears a floppy hat in the photo I have from The Concert. But she DOES also have sweet little antennae, which is probably what confused my memory.

Another question for our game. One ballet seems rather over-represented here: which one is it? and which numbers?

Apparently, Robbins saw in her a butterfly while Balanchine perceived dragonfly.

This is way , but Steven Caras (former NYCB dancer and photographer of Balanchine and the company) gave an extraordinarily interesting presentation on Robbins this afternoon at the Kravis Center here in West Palm Beach. He was one of the dancers Robbins used -- and sometimes abused -- during the creation of a number of his ballets. As Caras tells it, Robbins at one point was in love with Le Clercq and would quite possibly have married her. But he didn't ask. And Balanchine did ask.

Robbins kept up a friendship with Le Clercq to the end of his life. There are some haunting and beautiful photos of Le Clercq, on the roof of Lenox Hill Hospital, during her treatment for polio. They were taken by Robbins. One is reproduced in the Jowitt biography.

Sorry for going off on the above tangent.

Let's get back to the identifications.

Hello. I just happened to buy two of these cards last Thursday (Robbins night) in the gift shop at the theater. The ones I got were CB40514 and the dancer is not identified. The description says "A corps de ballet dancer as a "snowflake". I also got CB40510, Maria Kowroski and Philip Neal in Diamonds. These cards are still for sale at the gift shop during performances. If I remember correctly, the other ones that were on the rack that I didn't buy:
CB40501, CB40504, CB40506, and a few more but I don't remember. They are $2.50 each.

CB 40503- Is that "Our Lady Of The Legs" Maria Kowroski?
CB40506- I think the girl is Janie Taylor but I can't identify the boy.
CB 40508- Darci Kistler
CB 40509-Maria Kowroski
CB 40513- Is that Sofiane Sylve?

Carbro I believe I read somewhere that those marvelous Karinska costumes from Metamorphoses were destroyed in a fire.

I would LOVE to have that Tanny photo blown up to poster size, framed and displayed in my home.

Great work, perky. A further chellenge: what ballets and/or costumes?

And an expansion of my previous question: how many Serenade photos are there? What are there numbers?

40502 - La Source
40505 - maybe Davidsbunlertanze?
40508 - Darci, Swan Lake, Central Park
06 - the guy looks like Philip Neal with hair slicked down, is it La Valse?
09- I believe is older than Maria K's day, it seems to be BSQ with Robert Lyon and another soloist
10 - Philip again, Diamonds, with ? (these photos are small!)
12 - Philip and maybe Wendy in Swan Lake
13 - yes, Sofiane in Apollo (polyhymnia or the other one, not Terp)
and many of Serenade, of course, pictures from different eras.....including 04, which is in front of the theater formerly known as the State Theater.
14 - corps preparing for the snowflake dance in Nuts

06 - the guy looks like Philip Neal with hair slicked down, is it La Valse?
Robert Tewsley.

10 - Philip again, Diamonds, with ? (these photos are small!)
Maria Kowroski.

12 - Philip and maybe Wendy in Swan Lake
Kyra Nichols.

13 - yes, Sofiane in Apollo (polyhymnia or the other one, not Terp)
Yes, Polyhymnia

I'm at work at the moment, but I bought most of these. They credit the dancers on the back -- when I get home I'll take a look and see if I can identify the others. I'm pretty sure the one from BSQ is Maria.

Tewsley -- now THERE was a flash in the pan!

Hope Philip is getting royalties on these!;)

Here's a pic of La Source. I think 40502 is Raymonda Variations, but I couldn't find a photo of corps costume for comparison.
40505 looks to me like a Midsummer fairy from Titania's retinue.
40504 is definitely not outside the DHK/NYS Theater. It looks like a church to me. The facade of the theater is flatter -- less relief -- and several shades lighter. Also check the pavement -- definitely not part of the Lincoln Center campus, in any stage of the renovation (so far, at least). There are no risered steps so close to the building. Also, I don't think it's Serenade. Dancer's skirt looks too short and too full.

Yes! You're right about "Raymonda" I do get those pinky/Frenchy costumes mixed up. (But I should have heard those snare drums in my head.) And about the theater and about Midsummer's, etc!

40501 are the remade karinska tutus for GOUNOD SYMPHONY - the originals were even more pungent gold and rose - and had more ball-fringe trim, on the hems. the originals showed up in i forget which Balanchine ballet (after his death) for a preformance at SAB. E.Gorey identified them then for me, as he adored them. the re-built tutus were 'tamer' than the originals.

The Raymonda lead is blue.... rg?

indeed, the ensemble in RAYMONDA VARIATIONS is in pink; the leads, blue.

Ok, here are the IDs for the cards I have:

CB40501 - Sarah Ricard, Laura Paulus, Rebecca Krohn, taken at Old Westbury Gardens, NY
CB40502 - Sarah Ricard, Old Westbury Gardens
CB40503 - Maria, Serenade
CB40504 - Kristin Sloan, Old Westbury Gardens
CB40506 - Janie Taylor and Robert Tewsley
CB40507 - Serenade
CB40509 - Maria Kowroski and Robert Lyon, La Valse
CB40510 - Maria and Philip Neal, Diamonds
CB40511 - Serenade
CB40512 - Kyra Nichols and Philip Neal, Swan Lake
CB40513 - Sofiane Sylve, Apollo
CB40516 - Tanaquil le Clercq, Metamorphoses

Thanks, cinnamonswirl. What, I wonder, were they doing in the gardens at Old Westbury?