Reviewing Janzen at the School of American Ballet workshop in 2007, Alastair Macauley in The New York Times described him as “already a partner of rare accomplishment.” Janzen’s partnering skills will certainly get a workout on the evening of December 22, when he debuts as the Cavalier in New York City Ballet’s Nutcracker.
Janzen is one of the very talented corps dancers who get to do major roles during NYCB’s one-month-plus run.
Without overworking anything, without being guilty of “working it” at all, in the first movement corps of Episodes last fall, Janzen encapsulated the spirit of the ballet – the steep intervals between the floor and the heights.
Janzen’s also written a piece in the current Playbill about keeping Nutcracker performances fresh.
His Sugar Plum is soloist Ashley Laracey, about whom Laura Jacobs was raving on this blog a little while ago. That will be Laracey’s role debut as well.
And soloist Brittany Pollack debuts in that same performance as Dewdrop, as does corps member Harrison Ball as Candy Cane.
More to come soon about The Nutcracker.