Tess is More - Two Beloved Principals Retire from NYCB
On February 19, the crowd at NYCB was overwhelming -- every seat was taken up to the Fifth Ring The reason, surprisingly, was not because it was the farewell of one of NYCB's finest ballerinas. A large portion of the crowd seemed only to want to see Swan Lake . Another portion bought tickets for Amar Ramasar -- when he came onstage in Serenade there were large cheers. When the curtain came down on Swan Lake , I was shocked to see how many people got up and left. They had no idea that they saw the farewell of a veteran principal. In a way, it was fitting that Tess Reichlen retired without much fanfare -- she never was a dancer who chased fame or stardom. Her Instagram had no plugs for leotards or zoom ballet master classes. It was pictures of her family, her dog, promoting causes she cared about like performers' union rights, marriage equality, Dance Against Cancer. Even at the final bows, she requested that dancers not present her with bouquets, but rather single roses. This...