10 replies to this topic

[Dancing Angel]

I just watched Heather Ogden and Guillame Cote yesterday in Swan Lake and , as the article says, after her performance she was promoted. I'm really happy for her because she really deserves. She has improved a lot. Here's the website... http://www.national....ease/20030303-1

[creativejuice]

Can’t resist blowing my own horn but I did predict Miss Ogden would be promoted-albeit to principal.  Would anybody out there in the ballet world like to hire me as a ballet scout?  I would love to be paid to travel to Paris, Covent Garden, Cuba, New York, San Francisco…  Me thinks part of the reason Kudelka doesn’t like to create a star focused company is for economic reasons.  The NBoC has sadly lost many talented dancers over the years primarily for $ rea$son$.

[Paquita]

Congratulations to Heather! That is great news.
About the star system, it can sometimes help financially, if there is a recognized dancer who appears in the news that gets non-ballet goers interested in the ballet. The star system seems to work well at ABT, but NBoC could never have that many "stars" of such high calibre. I think NYCB's system works well because of their more mixed repetory. Company's that frequently put on full-length classics tend to nurture "stars" a bit more, I think.

[Dancing Angel]

Do you really think Oden may be promoted after the Spring Season to principal? Is it possible to move that quick?

[sylphide*4ever]

I think it's very possible for Heather Ogden to be promoted to principal very soon, but May may be a little bit early. But, no one knows except Mr. Kudleka~!! However, I certainly hope that happens because she is so incredibly talented. Also, I hope that Cote will be promoted to principal too, since he's also an amazing dancer of so much talent.

Just a side note of curiosity, what factors determine an artist for promotion?

[Paquita]

Heather will probably not be made a principal so soon. Xiao Nan Yu and Guillaume Cote have risen very quickly, but that is quite rare. Most dancers have to stick it out in the corps for a few years before being promoted. Odgen is a fantastic dancer and definately one to watch, but IMO she is not ready for the dramatic repertoire- i.e. Giselle, Onegin, etc. But then again, I never saw her Juliet.
Many factors go into deciding who gets promoted. I'd say the biggest factor is how useful the dancer is to the company. A useful dancer is versatile and can be given many different roles- modern and classical, (s)he is reliable and consistent and someone that audiences like.

[Dancing Angel]

Do you think Cote will be a principal soon? [deleted - gossip rule] I guess we just have to wait and see.

By the way, I remember seeing Ogden and Cote in Swan Lake and Romeo and Juilet and both times the audience stood for them and there was many curtain calls. With all the other dancers, the audience never stood for them.

[Paquita]

I see Cote being promoted very soon. He has been performing lead roles in almost everything, and proving himself able in them all. When there's a good male dancer, he's usually promoted very quickly. From what I've seen, it tends to be a bit slower for the female dancers.
What did you think of Ogden's Juliet? Acting plays a big role there...
Both Ogden and Cote are extremely popular with the audience, because they are young, promising, home-grown, and also seem to be genuinely nice people. The standing ovations show that the audience wants to encourage and support them. I know a lot of us are hoping that the NBoC will find a new great partnership in them (a la gold dust twins- kain and augustyn). The crowd went wild for them at the Erik Bruhn Prize, although the dancers from ABT and the Stuttgart were clearly of a higher calibre.

[Dancing Angel]

Personally, I don't exactly remember the whole performance but I do remember the performance being very good. Ogden was ok in her acting but she has excellent technique and I really hope that she'll improve very soon with her drama. NBoC really needs a strong partnership like Kain and Augustyn. Hopefully she'll do better. But I really do enjoy Cote's performances. And everytime I go to wach a performance, it really boosts my confidence and I improve so much. Not sure exactly why.

[Mel Johnson]

Quote

Originally posted by Dancing Angel
[deleted - gossip rule]

I'd be rather careful here.  Company scuttlebutt can be fun, but it's often less reliable than a weather forecast developed by a stockbroker.  That's why we try to cool it when it comes to company or personal gossip.

[Dancing Angel]

Sorry about that:o