Natalia

I was at what turned out to be Scheller's farewell and it was very downplayed. Just two bouquets and a nice solo bow. No Peter Martins. No past partners. No company coaches or other staff. No speeches or words of appreciation. I'm sure that most in the audience didn't understand what was going on unless one of us "ballet fans" whispered it to them. It wasn't even in the last ballet of the afternoon. By the way, we don't know what Veronika may have up her sleeve. She may have worked something out with another employer once she learned that she wouldn't be continuing with ABT past the Met season. Don't most companies give dancers of any rank proper notice time so that they can start looking for positions with other employers? We don't know what has happened. Of course, we wish her well, no matter the outcome...hoping to read good news about her circumstance in the coming days and weeks.

Me neither. I'd just assumed that she was one of three ABT ballerinas who "happily" chose to retire in the same year. We're happy to have Xiomara Reyes here in DC, on Julie Kent's team. As for Veronika Part's forced farewell, Mozartiana is a poignant choice. I doubt that eyes will stay dry during the opening Prayer. I bet that she'll be grand in the ballet, which I especially loved when performed by Ananiashvili...another "womanly woman" type of ballerina. It's mostly legato, then lots of lovely footwork in the Tema e Variazioni. It has lots of interesting partnering but only 5-6 quick lifts, that I recall. Sorry that I won't be seeing tomorrow night's first performance of the run but am looking forward to the final one on Saturday matinee. At least management had the good sense to move her ballet to the end of bill. I hope that the Misty Fans (there for what is now the first ballet) stick around to help Veronika's fans pay tribute...lending their voices!

Thanks for the link, Volcanohunter. What we read is mostly somebody's ("Viktoriya's? Part's?) very negative "review" of Whipped Cream. Ouch! Who wrote this babble? As to her upcoming departure from ABT...I'm at a loss... This appears to be so unfair. ABT probably doesn't quite realize what they would be losing, not just as a current classical ballerina but also as a potential coach and "principal character artist" in the future. To have essentially the soul and knowledge of her Mariinsky and Vaganova mentors - Zubkovskaya foremost among them - makes her a living treasure on so many levels! So sad that 15 years of beautiful performances with ABT would end this way.

Only if she manages to win the top top prize. Otherwise, the prizes barely cover travel expenses, if that.

Oh my...I just now noticed that Part's final Mozartiana on July 8 has been shifted to the END of the program. AfterEffect now opens the show. (Didn't see AlexL and others' earlier posts til now.) Wasn't Michele Wiles' farewell a rather hasty affair too? Somehow I don't recall it having been announced well in advance. Definitely not in any season brochure. Ana Sophia Scheller's recent farewell from NYCB was also rather hasty (to SFco). Ditto Maria Alexandrova leaving the Bolshoi, for freelance dancing.

ABT too? I know about the Mariinsky tours to London in August (Bayadere and other ballets) & DC in October (only Baya). Regardless, sad about Veronika scaling back or leaving ABT.

Well, someone asked for the name of a short corps lady of note. Hence, Elina.

Elina Miettinen...my favorite Fairy Canari and White Cat in SB!

Wow. Feeling extra lucky that I'll be there. I was at the Mariinsky for her 1995/96 graduation performances...1996 class of Inna Zubkovskaya. This will be quite emotional.

So maybe it will happen on Monday? Tomorrow, Sunday, is day off...as is Tuesday (4th of July). Seems silly but I don't want to miss the news. My iPhone is at the beach.

Good grief! I suppose that she's already submitted her paperwork for Jackson 2018?

Oh well, there was no harm in hoping. Maybe at company class this morn...about an hour from now (10am)???? Classes are earlier on matinee days.

Sarah's starring again tonight as Princess Praline. Maybe Kevin McKenzie will appear with a microphone during the bows, POB Etoile style? Every now & then other companies do this, eg, Oksana Skorik promoted by Fateev after a Raymonda in Calif.

Hallberg/Murphy must have been lovely in this. Also, I recall having seen long-lean-wispy Julie Kent in this...as an NYCB guest? So, yeah, Hee Seo should be gorgeous in this, with an equally long-lean partner.

Did anybody see Marcelo's debut? Or are we all "whipped out" with this ballet?

You're both right. I was thinking the flowey dress and the way it would move on Hee...similar to her dress in R&J. The long alternatives? I loved Arbo:Legris in this, at POB. My gold standard, beside the originators.

True. I never felt that with Lambarena, which seems more a mix of Bach and African beats. On the other hand...the "Noches Latinas" at Washington Ballet a few years ago...hmmm... The old Washington Ballet seemed to go out of its way in the "pandering to ethnics/ pandering to pop" department. So far, under Julie Kent, things seem better...no ethnic pandering in titles & content of programs.

I could easily see Hallberg cast in most of the known works on the fall schedule. Imagine Other Dances with Hee, for ex; definitely in the comfort zone of both & they've worked so well together in the past...the long, wispy duo. He may also be in some of the new ballets...Ratmansky has done wonderful work for him.

Following on Aurora's interesting post on Chicago demographics... Here's the latest demographics report on Washington DC, where ABT tours for a week each winter: https://suburbanstats.org/population/how-many-people-live-in-washington-dc Still majority Black or African-American (50% of total population) but a much lower percentage than when I moved here in early 1980s, when it was around 75%...when our town was lovingly called "Chocolate City"! Yet...it's sad, in a way, that any arts presenter would tout an artist to a city because of demographics by highlighting his/her ethnicity. The publicity should just be: "ABT is coming to town dancing Ballets X, Y & Z." To heck with the ethnicity of a particular dancer. Similarly, it boils my blood to see a company pandering to the "street music" of a certain ethnicity, as if that's the only way to get "butts in seats." It would be offensive to me, as a Latina, to be told that I might enjoy a ballet set to salsa music, hinting that Vivaldi & Mozart are beyond my capabilities to appreciate.

I believe that we're all ready to explode. It's too bad that we can't be "flown off" from our homes across the globe to some bar near Lincoln Center, with live TV cameras honing down at us, as we remotely watch McKenzie name the new Principals & Soloists. Waiting to set-off the balloons and confetti.

Hmmm...you may be onto something. The Mixed Bill program during the early-2018 Kennedy Center run will include what ABTfan described above as the "boob jiggling" pdd from With a Chance of Rain. Wasn't that with Misty Copeland at its premiere? Misty also dances 13 Diversions (also in those KennCen mixed bills + this NY fall season). Yet, that's no excuse to not learn the Tudor and other legacy works. Misty has danced Rodeo, T&V (demi), Sylphides, the Tharps - Bakers Dozen, Brief Fling, - etc. Plenty of great legacy rep ballets to allow Misty to star at the Kennedy Center opening night, if that's a desire.

Not a classical tutu or tiara in sight. We used to get T&V or similar during these fall seasons. No other ABT "legacy" works, like Sylphides or any of the Tudors. The only option this year to see Tippet's gorgeous Bruch Violin C. is in Buenos Aires. Agnes de Mille? Mark Morris' or Tharp's "new classics"? Whatever happened to ABT's spectacularly designed Ballet Imperial? Ah...but we're getting a double dose of Millepied.

I'm wondering if this is linked to donations to ABT, perhaps tied to "Miss Dior"? Sponsors will sometimes specify that money be used for a specific project. I recall reading that Marcelo Gomes would be working with Sarasota Ballet around this time. I'm very, very sorry to not see Veronika Part's name on the list of Fall season principals. I've especially loved her in shorter neoclassical works like SymphonieConcertante and Apollo, usually in these fall seasons...but we can relish her Mozartiana next week.

Good grief, another Millepied world premiere? It's not enough to revive his awful Daphnis? At least there's another Ratmansky-Desyatnikov collaboration. Love Odessa & Russian Seasons...not so the Lost Illusions music but it fits the story. [Haven't yet seen their La Scala collaboration, Opera.]

Boylston/Gorak still dancing Tchai pdd on July 8, as long-ago scheduled. CTballetfan, I think that you meant to type "July 7" for Murphy's Tchai pdd. Awwww...Abrera/Gomes no longer dancing the July 8 evening Souvenir. Casts for both the matinee & eve Souvenir will now be led by Teuscher/Hallberg.