Week 5 casting is up on the website:

http://www.nycballet.com/casting/wk5.html

Peck in Allegro Brillante should be good.

I don't see Bouder listed for Week 5, but she just posted on her twitter that she has her first rehearsal today, so I guess she'll be back soon.

I'm guessing that Bouder will appear in Lifecasting, in which she created a part last season. Her gifts were underutilized there. Why is Reichlin cast in so few ballets? Her only role this week is a small part in the first section of After the Rain. She's not on the schedule at all for next week.

According to her twitter, we should also see Bouder in Other Dances in week 6.

Probably the wrong place for a review. I just saw the May 30 evening performance.

Donizetti Variations was as good as it gets. Fairchild and De Luz were charming beyond belief and technically flawless. It was a WOW performance. All the dancers in this ballet had the sharpness & allegro movement to perfection. It was one of those times when I could have left after the first ballet feeling happy, knowing that I got more than my money's worth.

Hallelujah Junction shows the dancers off well. Hyltin - Garcia - Ulbricht looked great, as did the other dancers.

Simple Symphony - I have a feeling that this might be an unpopular opinion, but why is it in the repertory? It is third rate Balanchine. Also, Abi Stafford doesn't work for me in this type of ballet. Her attempts at being romantic seem stilted to me. I love her in Concerto B. and look forward to seeing her in more leotard ballets.

I didn't stay for Swan Lake.

So far this season the NYC ballet discoveries for me have been all about Megan Fairchild & Le Luz -- I'm in love!!

Whenever NYCB presents a new ballet, it stays in the rep for 3 seasons, irrespective of its quality. Expect Simple Symphony to return in Winter 2010, and then fade into oblivion never to be seen again.