“Good Clothes Open All Doors”

Debatable as is that proposition, the obverse is unquestionably true: bad clothes slam them shut again.

The ridiculous costuming devised for the male dancer in William Forsythe’s “Herman Schmerman Pas de Deux”, danced last week by New York City Ballet in Minneapolis, made it hard for us to stifle giggles.

Whatever one was to call the male dancer’s outfit, it looked like nothing so much as a cheerleader’s skirt.

George Balanchine was always extremely particular about how his dancers were dressed and presented. During the Balanchine era, NYCB was the finest-dressed ballet company on the planet.

I don’t think Balanchine would have allowed this costume to make it onto the stage.